HPI

Policyholders of private health insurance company Dôvera can newly be informed on the approval of planed operation in hospital via message. First they get a message informing them whether hospital announced the operation to insurance company or not, what usually takes 48 hours. Second message will be sent in the case of approval of hospitalization and afterwards they will wait for the date of accession set by hospital. Policyholders may also choose to get this information via e-mail or by message in electronic branch.

The aim of new conceptual program named Prevent dialogue is to start on all levels in Parliament the debate and subsequently the programs on prevention of diseases. As today informed by the President of National Council for Health, Richard Raši, the activities focused on prevention before diseases, which according to statistics and social significance most affect the citizens of Slovakia, aim to provoke the expert debate across the Parliament. This discussion should be in cooperation with experts from various fields of medicine.

Pharmacists influence a fifth of patients in Slovak and Czech republic by choosing of pharmaceutical. The degree of their impact varies depending on particular types of diseases. This results from the study of GfK company on key factors and role of pharmacist by choosing of pharmaceutical, which have made the research on the sample of 2 000 respondents from Slovakia and Czech republic. According to this research, Slovak pharmacists have a little more intensive impact to the decision making of patients and also often offer the alternatives to the prescribed pharmaceutical.

Association of Health Insurance Companies welcomed the effort of state General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) to decrease the number of patients on waiting lists. According to the President of the Association, Katarína Kafková, it is a confirmation of the fact that pluralistic system of insurance companies in Slovakia is important. This promise according to her added VsŽP to the standard activities of private insurance companies, which have money for operations in budgets. According to Kafková, however, there are concerns if the state insurance company will be able to fulfil its promise.  

Ministry of Health reportedly does not have any arguments for cancellation of loyalty systems in pharmacies or justification for refusing of public comment for their remaining, which has been already signed by 7 700 people. Representatives of Dr. Max pharmacies believe that Government will notice the missing arguments by discussing on this material. Meanwhile they have launched the petition for preserving of loyalty systems. As was, however, announced by Zuzana Zvolenská, Ministry insists on the ban of loyalty systems.  

Unused pharmaceuticals that people have not used, will be soon accumulated in pharmacies. State Institute for Drug Control (SIDC), which used to pay for their collection and disposal each spring and autumn, has stopped the autumn collection. The reason is a lack of money and situation will not get better even next year, even though this service is set by the law. For now it is not clear when the collection will be renewed. Pharmacies will until then have to store the unused pharmaceuticals by themselves. 

Slovakia will probably have a National Transplant Organization. It should be a coordination part in all transplantation processes with exactly set tasks and mandates. This organization will be, inter alia, issuing the written approval necessary for providers performing the export of tissues and cells out of Slovakia. This results from the amendment to the act on health care approved by members of Parliament. 

Healthcare institutions owed to the Social Insurance Company the unpaid premium by the end of June in amount of € 38.5 million. Compared to last year the debt increased by more than € 19.6 million. Receivables against state healthcare institutions reached € 19.6 million what is a half of the volume of receivable against all monitored institutions. Debts against transformed healthcare institutions by the end of June were in amount of € 18.8 million.

Public Health Office has established the hotline on which people may report the suspicion of corruption. According to the spokeswoman of the Office, Lenka Skalická, number +421 907 753 397 and e-mail address korupcia@uvzsr.sk can be used for reporting of suspicion of committing a crime of accepting a bribe, bribery, indirect corruption or abusing of authority. Public can report the suspicion of corruption considering the activities of all regional public health offices in Slovakia. 

Employers' associations think that for maintaining of social peace in healthcare system more money should be inserted into it. Employers' associations informed on this opinion Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská at the departmental tripartite. President of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, admitted that talking about increasing of rate for state policyholders to 5% from the tax base may not be realistic for now, but there will be for sure more money needed.