Health Does Not Begin in a Hospital: HFS Welcomes the Slovakia 2040 Vision and Offers Expert Input for Its Implementation

Healthy Future of Slovakia (HFS), an expert healthcare initiative of the Future Slovakia Forum think tank, welcomes Vízia Slovensko 2040: Cesta ku kvalitnejšiemu životu — the Slovakia 2040 Vision: A Path to a Better Quality of Life — as an important cross-sector framework for the country’s long-term development.

The document was prepared by the Slovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Slovak Rectors’ Conference and presented to the public on 1 September 2026.

HFS particularly welcomes the fact that the Vision does not treat health merely as an output of the healthcare system. Health is also shaped by prevention, nutrition, physical activity, the environment, housing, social conditions, mental health and access to long-term care.

For people, this should mean a clear and coordinated pathway through the system, without having to carry information between institutions themselves. Reducing health inequalities between regions and population groups is equally important.

The decisive step will be moving from vision to implementation

The Vision defines the desired future and its guiding principles. The follow-up Slovakia 2040 Strategy is expected to determine the order of priorities, specific measures, responsible actors and financing.

According to the timetable published by the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Strategy should be prepared by 31 January 2027 and submitted to the Government by 31 March 2027.

HFS is ready to contribute proposals on sequencing, allocation of responsibilities, measurement of outcomes and the safe implementation of reforms.

The HFS expert group considers it essential to strengthen prevention, outpatient and long-term care, coordinate the patient pathway and link additional resources to accessibility, quality and health outcomes. REFORMA 3.3 can contribute concrete proposals on how to translate this direction into practice.

Where HFS sees common ground with the Vision

• Strong public health, prevention and accessible outpatient care. Chronic diseases and avoidable mortality cannot be addressed solely by increasing hospital activity.

• A coordinated patient pathway and continuity of care. Outpatient, hospital, home-based, post-acute and long-term care must be connected with rehabilitation, palliative, hospice and social support.

• A sufficient healthcare workforce and regional capacity planning. Without the necessary people and skills, even strong reform proposals will remain on paper. Team-based roles and scopes of practice must be expanded safely.

• Interoperable data and functional digital healthcare. Relevant information should follow the patient and support healthcare professionals rather than create additional duplication and administrative work. Artificial intelligence must remain under human oversight.

• Stable and predictable financing and financial protection for households. Additional resources should improve accessibility, quality and health outcomes, rather than merely increase the volume of services delivered.

What HFS can contribute to the Slovakia 2040 Strategy

Healthy Future of Slovakia is developing REFORMA 3.3, a system-wide expert framework covering six interconnected areas:

• outpatient care;

• long-term care;

• pharmaceutical policy;

• digitalisation;

• healthcare financing;

• the hospital network.

The healthcare workforce, prevention and outcome measurement are cross-cutting themes across the entire framework.

HFS can contribute to the preparation of the Strategy through proposals on the sequencing of measures, clear allocation of responsibilities, measurable indicators, real-world testing of proposed solutions and a multiannual financing framework.

This is expert input for further assessment. It is not a final budget commitment or the only possible model for reform.

HFS is ready to engage with the team preparing the Slovakia 2040 Strategy and, subject to internal approval, share selected expert materials.

Healthcare is not an isolated sector

Future Slovakia Forum operates as a T-shaped think tank: it builds deep expertise in selected sectors and connects it through cross-cutting capabilities in public finance, human capacity, data, regional development, governance and implementation.

Alongside its advanced work on REFORMA 3.3, FSF is finalising preparations for its Education and Science reform initiative. In cooperation with partners, it is also preparing a reform of public administration, including the completion of decentralisation.

These areas are mutually dependent. Healthcare requires high-quality education and a capable state. Schools and public services require functioning regions. Decentralisation requires clearly defined responsibilities, financing, data and accountability.

Connecting these sectoral reform agendas can therefore add substantial value to the development of strategies in the key areas needed to deliver the Slovakia 2040 Vision.

Strategic alignment does not mean endorsement of the reform

HFS does not claim that the Slovak Academy of Sciences has endorsed the REFORMA 3.3 expert framework or any of its specific parameters.

We are describing strong alignment in the overall direction and offering expert implementation input.

The Vision is the beginning. Implementation will decide. Even the best document will remain on paper unless it is translated into clear responsibilities, sufficient capacity, sustainable financing and outcomes that people can experience in their everyday lives.

Healthy Future of Slovakia is an expert healthcare initiative of Future Slovakia Forum. It is developing REFORMA 3.3, a system-wide expert framework for Slovak healthcare that is currently being reviewed by an international Advisory Board. REFORMA 3.3 is neither a government programme nor a party-political platform.