HPI

Plan to build a common hospital of ministries of defense and home affairs will probably fail. Although under the original terms of both departments it was already planned to be open next month, ministers are currently more engaged in the way how to completely stop the project. They wish to use the money assigned for building to common expenses of their departments.

According to daily Pravda from 11/10/2011 Penta bought the company Estate Consult, which is the 100% owner of the company Svet zdravia. This one is an operator in ten hospitals in the cities: Humenné, Svidník, Spišská Nová Ves, Rožňava, Trebišov, Michalovce, Partizánske and Vranov nad Topľou. Company did not disclose the amount of the transaction. Upon entry into hospitals Penta is reportedly preparing measures to improve the management of hospitals.

Medical trade union continues in collecting of the notices. These are the conclusions of several hours of discussions between trade union and health minister Ivan Uhliarik. The main problem remains the transformation of hospitals into the joint-stock companies.

In December 2011 comes into practice a regulation, which introduces a new price referencing of the pharmaceuticals. While until now the maximum price of the producer cannot achieve an average of 6 lowest prices in EU, newly it should not reach the level of the second lowest price. According to the Slovak association of pharmaceutical companies this regulation can motivate an action to increase the export of pharmaceuticals from Slovakia. Association, however, declares to do everything to make pharmaceuticals available.

According to daily Pravda from 30/9/2011 the private equity group Penta, which has already invested in the health sector in the past, has declared its interest in investing in this sector again. Within a few months it should start to buy regional hospitals. Penta is allegedly discussing in all countries of V4. It will be important, however, if the system will support the transparence or the state redistribution.

Health insurance companies are monitoring the hospitals where physicians handed their notices Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP) began to establish the exact number of doctors who resigned in particular hospitals. Reason is to provide health care to patients. VšZP is interested in how many doctors are about to leave on 1. December 2011 from various hospital departments and also takes into account the exact number of attested and unattested doctors in these departments.

According to daily Hospodárske noviny from 7/10/2011 nurses are also considering notices. At the national meeting on Saturday they are about to decide what happens next. One possibility is the departure. Many nurses already work in joint-stock companies and receive only minimum wage. Chamber of nurses and midwives has been negotiating for three months with the Ministry of Health, which already promised some improvements.

Hospital Malacky is currently providing the radiodiagnostic department with the top magnetic resonance imaging equipment. The new device provides physician a higher image quality and faster time to investigate the patient. Thanks to the using of the modern Tim technology, which allows to connect multiple coils, with no further positioning of the patient gradually the wider range can be investigated. Patients will be able to use a new device from January 2012.

According to weekly Zdravotnícke noviny from 6/10/2011 the draft law on minimum wage for nurses and midwives should have been prepared at the end of the September, but it is still being discussed by the chamber and the Ministries of Health and Labour. Chamber calls for the remuneration taking into account the experience and education. Ministry of Health relies on the performance of work activities, not the education. The law should take effect in mid-2012.

According to daily Plus jeden deň from 6/10/2011 negotiating between doctors representatives and Minister Ivan Uhliarik ended up successfully for doctors. They managed to push three of four requirements – compliance with the Labour Code, an increase of salaries of doctors and improving of the sector financing. Minister, however, disagreed with the requirements of the trade unionists to stop the transformation of the hospitals into the joint-stock companies.