In Slovenia, sex workers are not required or regulated by law to undergo a mandatory medical examination in order to perform sex work. 

As a self-employed sex worker, he/she is obliged to pay for health insurance, which entitles him/her to all health services, which are the same as for other employees and citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. Health Care and Health Insurance Act - ZZVZZ

In addition, the employee also pays pension and disability insurance. Workers have a length of service, which counts towards their pension payments when the time comes - even for foreigners. Pension and Disability Insurance Act - ZPIZ-2

As a self-employed sex worker, he/she is obliged to pay for health insurance, which entitles him/her to all health services, which are the same as for other employees and citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. Health Care and Health Insurance Act - ZZVZZ

In addition, the employee also pays pension and disability insurance. Workers have a length of service, which counts towards their pension payments when the time comes - even for foreigners. Pension and Disability Insurance Act - ZPIZ-2

 For Migrants

The level of rights of migrants with regards to health differs according to their status (whether they are asylum seekers or have been awarded refugee status, foreigners with legal residency in Slovenia, or foreigners with no residency in Slovenia). The right to healthcare for migrants depends on their legal status obtained in accordance with the Aliens Act. The right to healthcare of migrants with temporary residency in Slovenia derives from their employment contract: if their employment contract is terminated, they no longer have health insurance or the right to reside in Slovenia. Migrants with permanent residency in Slovenia enjoy greater protection, since they enjoy the same rights as Slovenian or EU nationals. In contrast, the right to healthcare of persons who only have a permission to stay in Slovenia because of their need for medical cure and treatment is the lowest: they only have the right to emergency health care. This is insufficient for migrants who often suffer from chronic conditions, including the victims of trafficking.

NGOs have reported that victims of trafficking and asylum seekers have been rejected in the emergency room. Migrants only have the right to medical treatment in cases of sudden deterioration of their condition. In such cases, Pro Bono, a medical centre for people with no health insurance makes the initial examination, but, later on, if someone should need to see a specialist, she is not taken there unless she can pay.

The Asylum Act regulates the rights of asylum seekers and those persons with refugee status.  According to this Act, asylum seekers are subject to an examination for health and hygiene upon reception at the Asylum Home. The Centre for Epidemiology is responsible for determining the extent of the examination (Article 4). In practice, the examination is superficial and only checks for visible signs of disease (the hands and the stomach). No blood or urine tests are done and the HIV test is not included. The Asylum Act recognises vulnerable groups and requires that authorities pay special attention to them in terms of their reception, as well as in terms of health and psychological care. Vulnerable groups are defined as legally incompetent persons, minors, unaccompanied minors, disabled persons, the elderly, pregnant women, minors with a single parent, victims of sexual violence, and the victims of torture and organised crime. The latter two groups should be accommodated in special premises (practical examples reveal that they are not) and should be provided with special rehabilitation (Article 6). In practice, vulnerable groups have the right to receive the same level of health treatment as all asylum seekers, which means that they receive no special attention. The persons with special needs (e.g., those requiring spectacles, crutches) do not receive the treatment, medicine or other equipment that they need. In order to finance such needs, one of the NGOs has established an Eligibility Committee that pays for the needs not covered by the State, for example, crutches, medicines that are not on the approved list, spectacles, vitamins for infants, etc. The UNHCR currently finances this programme, however, the State should cover the basic needs of the asylum seekers on their territory.

Healthcare for asylum seekers covers the following range of health services upon decision of a medical doctor (Article 46):

Urgent health or dental care or transport

Urgent treatment, which includes:

Maintaining vital functions

Staunching haemorrhage

Preventing sudden deterioration of health

Treatment for shock

Treatment of a chronic disease that could result in disability or permanent damage or death

Treatment of fevers and infections that could result in sepsis

Treatment for poisoning

Treatment of broken or twisted bones and other injuries that require a medical doctor’s attention

Medicine from the official list of approved medicines

Healthcare services for women, to include contraception, abortion, and prenatal healthcare and labour.

In practice, asylum seekers with chronic conditions encounter problems similar to those mentioned for trafficked persons. The Asylum Home has a nurse who is responsible for making medical appointments. However, the current (August 2006) nurse is said to be unreliable and unresponsive to health conditions of asylum seekers seeking medical assistance. NGOs that are present in the Asylum Home have written complaints about this nurse, but the management of the Home has not taken any action. This example points to the lack of mechanisms to control the implementation of rules and laws.

Health institutions must provide asylum seekers with healthcare services based on the submission of an identity card or other confirmation that the asylum seeker has lodged an official application (Article 26). The Ministry of Health (Article 27) provides the resources for healthcare services for asylum seekers. The degree of healthcare services for refugees is much higher than that for asylum seekers. Refugees, inclusive of their family members, are entitled to healthcare in accordance with the laws regulating the healthcare and health insurance industries (Article 52). The Healthcare and Health Insurance Act (Article 7), as well as the regulation that implementing the rights of aliens granted refugee status (Article 32), stipulate that Slovenia shall provide resources for the healthcare of persons who have been granted refugee status. Therefore, refugees, at least in principle, are entitled to healthcare to the same degree as Slovene citizens with full health insurance. However, although refugees enjoy the same level of rights as Slovene nationals, they are not issued a health Insurance card to enable their access to the healthcare system. Instead, the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for refugees, on a case-by-case basis confirms that they are refugees with the same rights of native citizens. The health insurance card would confirm this, but it is confusing for nurses and doctors, who become suspicious and nervous, because they are required to follow procedures that are different than those used to “process” the “usual” patients, whose possession of the health insurance cards ease the computerised bureaucratic procedure. Consequently, refugees are often sent to the Pro Bono health centre, which is for people with no medical insurance, even though the State legally covers their health insurance costs.

Access to HIV/AIDS treatment

Until now, the Ministry of Health pays for the treatment of all HIV+ people and those with full-blown AIDS, including those without health insurance, whether nationals or migrants. Treatment is provided for anyone who is uninsured, regardless of whether he/she is a national, migrant, or undocumented sex worker.

Access to harm reduction programmes

Harm reduction programs in Slovenia include methadone treatment and needle exchange programs.

Needle exchange programs are accessible and free for nationals and migrants, while methadone treatment is accessible only for drug users with health insurance, regardless of whether he/she is a national, migrant, or undocumented drug-using sex worker.

Protection

In Slovenia, there have been no deportations for medical reasons, e.g., in the case of someone proving to be HIV-positive, up to now.

With the aim of providing protection and help to the victims of trafficking in human beings, the police actively cooperated with nongovernmental organizations