HPI

Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives rejects that the lack of nurses and finances in health care should be solved by the change of education and strengthening of competencies of healthcare assistants. Efforts to transfer competencies from nurses to assistants Chamber considers as unallowable. Chamber this way reacted to the changes enforced by the Association of Medical High Schools in cooperation with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education in the State Education Programme for professional education for high schools. 

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská believes that state must set the network of strategic healthcare institutions so it could be able to ensure the health care in the case of emergencies. She also refused that creating of terminal network of hospitals could cause the deformation of the market. She pointed out that institutions in the network are excellent and irreplaceable in their regions or they are eventually supra-regional specialized workplaces.   

Representatives of professional organizations operating in healthcare system are asking for ensuring of financing in the department in amount of minimum 5% payment for state policyholders. The aim of this step should be an ensuring of health care for the citizens of Slovakia. This results from the declaration of representatives of professional organizations adopted on Wednesday meeting at the Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber. 

Smer-SD is according to former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik returning the healthcare system 20 years ago to socialism, when it wants to create one health insurance company and hospitals with assured existence regardless of quality. Renovation of terminal minimum network according to him means a creation of list of privileged hospitals that will not be pushed by quality of provided health care, success of operations and satisfaction of patients. Because they will be sure that insurance company have to make a contract with them.  

Donation of tissues and cells should be voluntary, free and anonymous. This is stated in the non-legislation resolution today approved by members of European Parliament (EP). Parliament also pointed to the potential positives of using of stem cells from umbilical cord blood. In its resolution Parliament called on all EU member states to prohibit the granting of financial incentives and clearly set the conditions for granting of financial compensation.  

University hospital in Bratislava last week opened in Ružinov the renovated area of central reception. Hospital invested € 362 000 into the renovation. Repairing of central reception was necessary by hygienic-operational, safety and logistic reasons. Several parts and areas were significantly used up and damaged. Department reportedly long-termly did not meet the requirements of the hospital and patients.

34 hospitals and 3 medical institutions will be included into the terminal network of hospitals. Concept of terminal minimum network in Slovakia will be again renewed from October. It will include providers in the scope of Ministry of Health, which are of strategic importance for the state. Health insurance companies will have to make a contract with them. Proposal of the regulation on public minimum network was today approved by Government.

Žilina self-governmental region will enter into negotiations with private doctors from 8 buildings of former polyclinics, where they have been providing the health care. The ninth polyclinic in Liptovský Hrádok will be offered in the public competition. Doctors have expressed their interest in buildings in Kysucké Nové Mesto, Bytča, Turzovka, Liptovský Mikuláš, Martin and Turčianske Teplice.

Current members of Board of directors in the Healthcare Surveillance Authority should be replaced by new people. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská proposes to withdraw all members including the President and Vice President. This results from the material, submitted to the negotiation of the Government by Minister of Health. As stated in the material, withdrawing of members of Board of directors is proposed in accordance to the results of activities of the office with regard to the current situation in healthcare system and responsibility of the Government for health of Slovak population.

Health insurance companies have pulled out all the weapons and after the years of silence launched the advertising campaigns for recruiting of new policyholders. They have paid for TV spots, billboards and flyers. According to analysts this way they react to the plans of Government to create only one state insurance company, while the state would probably purchase the private insurance companies. If private insurance companies manage to get more policyholders, they would be able to ask state for more money by their purchasing.