It is also expected to discuss approval to private medical centre MD Medicina to carry out part of surgeries to cut waiting times at public hospitals.

While Health Minister Milojka Kolar Celarc would not talk about concrete numbers, reports say that Slovenian hospitals need around EUR 200m in additional funds.

Kolar Celarc has announced that the Health Ministry has prepared over the summer recess a set of measures and a draft intervention law to tackle the issue.

The solutions are being harmonised with the Ministry of Finance, and according to the minister the two sides are close to an agreement.

Kolar Celarc said that short-term measures would be taken in hospitals with a high amount of unpaid liabilities to suppliers which are due for more than 60 or 90 days.

While an agreement to cut the excessive waiting times has already been reached with MD Medicina, the government needs to approve the financial part of the deal, which amounts to around EUR 1.5m.

The deal will almost certainly be debated by the coalition ahead of the government session.

If everything goes as planned, the concessionaire could start with first orthopaedic surgeries that would shorten waiting times in September.