Last year, 6,352 requests for recognition of foreign diplomas for employment in Montenegro were submitted to the Ministry of Education, almost a fifth of which were from Serbia, while 285 requests (4.49%) were from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
The department said that 173 requests for recognition of foreign educational documents in the field of medicine have arrived from Serbia – 36 requests were submitted by medical doctors, 11 by pharmacists, and eight by dentists. In the same period, there were also 118 requests from higher medical schools, which were submitted to that department for certification by senior nurses, laboratory and radiology technicians.
Out of 173 requests for recognition of foreign educational documents in the field of medicine obtained in Serbia, 67 educational documents were obtained at public institutions of higher education, while 106 educational documents were obtained at private institutions of higher education.
The Ministry of Education said that last year, 13 doctors of medicine, ten doctors of pharmacy and two dentists submitted applications for recognition of foreign documents obtained in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Among the requests from BiH are also 28 from higher medical schools.
Regarding the origin of the educational document, out of 53 requests for recognition of educational documents in the field of medicine obtained in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 19 educational documents were obtained at public institutions of higher education, while 34 educational documents were obtained at private ones – they answered.
The Ministry of Education claims that in the period from 2019 to 2022, the number of requests for recognition of foreign educational documents in the field of medicine obtained in Serbia increased. They explained that in 2019 there were 70 requests from the field of medicine, in 2020 there were 87, while in 2021 177 requests were submitted, while the total number of submitted requests from Serbia did not change significantly. This, they claim, can indicate the needs of the labor market in Montenegro for qualifications in the field of healthcare.
When it comes to educational documents in the field of medicine obtained in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and bearing in mind that this number ranges from 38 requests in 2019, then 39 requests submitted in 2020, 42 requests submitted in 2021 and 53 requests in 2022, it can be concluded that this increase in the number of requests is insignificant – it is stated in the answer of the Ministry of Education.
From this department, they said that they are responsible for the procedure of recognizing diplomas for the purpose of employment, while the equalization of qualifications is done by the institution that implements a comparable study program in accordance with the institution’s act.
If there is no institution of higher education in Montenegro that implements a comparable study program, the equalization of qualifications is performed by the competent professional body (eg, Chamber of Medicine, Chamber of Pharmacy, etc.) – they clarified.
The Ministry of Education said that persons with acquired higher education, in order to work in the health sector, that is, to perform health care activities, should fulfill the conditions prescribed by the Law on Health Care.
This law stipulates that a health worker, i.e. a health associate, who has acquired appropriate education abroad, can perform health activities if the foreign educational document on the acquired education has been recognized and the foreign qualification of the level of education has been equalized, in accordance with a special law – they clarified.
The news previously announced that the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica is determining whether and how many fake pharmacists and dentists there are in Montenegro.
Minister without portfolio Zoran Miljanić said that an anonymous criminal report was forwarded to him from the Faculty of Medicine in Podgorica about the possible existence of falsified diplomas in dentistry and pharmacy from the countries of the region.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), launched the operation “Cluster”, in which more than 10 persons from several private institutions of higher education were arrested in February, suspected of criminal offenses of illegal issuance and sale of university diplomas.
Bosnian media reports that the investigation is being conducted against the Independent University of Banjaluka (NUBL), the University of Business Studies (UPS) of Banjaluka, the European University in Brčko, the University of Travnik, the International University of Travnik, as well as the College of Applied and Legal Sciences Prometej from Banja Luka. The University of Travnik and the European University in Brčko have faculties that train health personnel.
