Ljubljana - Health Minister Janez Poklukar has ordered an emergency oversight over the paying out of epidemic bonuses. He said the costs of the oversight should be included in the financial plan of health institutes for 2021.

After the financial plan is adopted, the oversight over the paying out of the bonuses for 2020 and 2021 should be carried out and the findings reported to the institution's council and the ministry, Poklukar said in a letter to the heads of health institutions obtained by the STA.

Poklukar also announced the oversight of the paying out of the bonuses in an interview with today's Delo following media reports about some controversies regarding the paying out of the bonuses.

An audit into the distribution of the bonuses can be ordered by health institutions and can be carried out by the Court of Audit. The latter has already conducted some inquiries and the public sector inspectorate is also overseeing the situation, Delo reported.

The inspectorate has so far reportedly checked 19 budget users, finding substantial differences among different parts of the public sector, with some institutions paying out virtually no bonuses and other paying them out to most of the staff.

The bonuses for staff especially exposed to the new coronavirus are envisaged under the public sector collective bargaining agreement and under a law on epidemic-related emergency measures.