The lack of stipulation of the obligation of branches of Republic Fund for Health Insurance (RFHI) to cancel the previous insurance ex officio on the occasion of applying for insurance, sometimes leads to absurd situations.

Common-law partners S. K. and R. A. and their five minor children moved to Kraljevo at the end of 2014. The registration of permanent residence at the address in Kraljevo was carried out for all five children. On the basis of certificates on permanent residence registration, RFHI branch in Kraljevo registered their application for health insurance and issued health booklets for four children who had not had them in Serbia before, but not for the fifth child Z. A. As Z. A. was registered for health insurance in 2003 through RFHI branch in Paracin, it was first necessary to cancel the insurance there. However, RFHI branches do not send request for cancelation of the previous insurance ex officio, but they insist that the insured bring them a written request in person, which, in case of uninstructed parties, additionally complicates the whole procedure.

As a consequence of such acting, persons who move and register at another address may be limited in exercising the right to health insurance. Since all RFHI branches in Serbia are networked and have an insight into data on all insured through unique personal citizen numbers, such acting is utterly illogical, especially when it is known that police departments cancel the permanent residence from the previous address when they perform registration of permanent residence at new address.