The HiT profiles are country-based reports that provide a detailed description of a health system and of policy initiatives in progress or under development. HiTs examine different approaches to the organization, financing and delivery of health services, and the role of the main actors in health systems; describe the institutional framework, process, content and implementation of health and health care policies; and highlight challenges and areas that require more in-depth analysis.
Executive summary of Slovakia: Health System Review from the Health Systems in Transition series published in 2011 by European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Tomáš Szalay, M.D. (*1971) is founding partner and executive director of Health Policy Institute. From 1996 to 2002 he was an editor and TV anchor of private TV channel Markíza. In 2002–2004 he was first spokesperson, then member of health reform team at the Slovak Ministry of Health. His domain of interest is health policy, access to health care and health care legislation.
Angelika Szalayová, M.D.(*1974) is the founding partner and chief analyst of Health Policy Institute. She is also a former member of the reform team of the Minister of Health Rudolf Zajac, where she was responsible for pharmacetutical policy in the Slovak and Czech Republic. She is an expert on drug policy, managed care and health insurance company policies.
Public health is supervised by the PHA, which concentrates predominantly on the monitoring of communicable diseases. The PHA organizes an immunization programme that is carried out by GPs and financed by health insurance companies.
People have free choice of their GP. There is also free choice of specialist for specialized care. If a service is not covered by SHI or the provider is not contracted, an individual may still receive reimbursement but only if the health insurance company gives prior authorization.
Ambulatory care consists of general care and specialized care. Emergency medical services and 24/7 first aid medical services (see section 5.5) are special ambulatory care services. Also one-day surgery is provided as part of ambulatory care. Since 1993, many services in ambulatory care have been privatized. All GPs have their own private practices. Most specialized outpatient departments have been privatized as well, either as independent practices or associated with polyclinics. Hospitals with attached polyclinics represent a significant market share of specialized ambulatory care.
Ing. Karol Morvay (*1973) is a senior analyst at Health Policy Institute, assistant professor at the University of Economics in Bratislava and the former advisor to the Prime Minister Iveta Radičová for labour market policy. He is an expert in macroeconomic analyses, economic policy and economic theory.
Hospitals in Slovakia are divided into general hospitals (including university hospitals) and specialized hospitals, depending on the services they offer. Hospitals also have an ambulatory component, in which hospital-based specialists provide specialized ambulatory care. Inpatient health care facilities include sanatoriums, hospices, day-care centres, natural healing spas and balneotherapy institutions. Mixed ownership of inpatient care providers is common, with the state owning a significant share.
Emergency medical services provide urgent care in sudden life-threatening situations. Emergency medical services are provided by a dense network of private and public providers operating in a total of 280 areas accessible to patients within 15 minutes of the emergency call (in 95% of Slovak territory).