HPI

International Council of Nurses in the letter for President of Slovak Chamber of Nurses, Mária Lévyová, supported the calling of Chamber for fair solution of current situation in regard of nurses. Council has designated the situation with nurses as disastrous. It therefore called for constructive cooperation by the protection of health of people by ensuring of adequate number of nurses and midwives, who will provide the care for fair wage and by favourable conditions. 

Private health insurance company Dôvera has reported for the first half of this year historically lowest profit, € 200 000. This time last year this insurance company reached the profit in amount of € 18 million, by the end of last year it was € 39 million. Union health insurance company and Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) got, compared to previous years, significantly better. Both insurance companies, however, deny that this was at the expense of unpaid care for patients. 

From the next year the pharmaceutical companies should inform about which doctors they plan to meet, or which they have already met. Lists should be published on the website of Ministry of Health (MoH). Doctors and pharmaceutical companies do not like this proposal involved in the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals. Doctors are afraid that this measure will disturb the personal data protection. They also claim that amendment does not clearly define the aim, which the MoH wants to reach. Association of the Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Slovak Association of Pharmaceutical Companies also stated that such a collection and publishing of personal data represents an unauthorized intrusion into privacy. 

Union health insurance company considers the promoted opinions of some civil initiatives and politicians calling for departure of policyholders from private health insurance companies as unacceptable and against the rules of fair competition. Member of Parliament Daniel Lipšic (independent) and civil initiation Vízia 21 called public for migration of policyholders to state General Health Insurance Company in the frame of plan to create only one health insurance company. Union considers as very unfortunate, if the discussion on the future of public health insurance narrows only to an effort to solve the problems with financial group owning one of the health insurance companies. 

Policyholders of private health insurance company Dôvera may in these days expect the overpayments from annual settlement of health insurance for the last year. Through the overpayments the insurance company is returning more than € 17.7 million. Until the end of August Dôvera has sent to its policyholders more than 124 000 annual settlements, result of which is an overpayment or underpayment.   

Healthcare system is according to Minister Zuzana Zvolenská not only a black hole, in which money disappears, although she admits, that there never will be enough money. Currently besides negotiating with Minister of Finance about the reasonable amount of money for health care, Minister of Health addicts herself to the preparation for creation of unitary insurance system, analysis of charges in hospitals and clinics and examines whether to complete the hospital complex Rázsochy, or not.  

Public procurement in hospital should be more transparent. This should happen thanks to the central public procurement of certain commodities, which is being prepared by the Ministry of Health. Ministry plans to centrally provide the electricity, gas, special medical material and consumables. From this step Ministry expects financial savings in amount of 10% next year.

Healthcare Surveillance Authority on the basis of data from health insurance companies pre-listed by the end of July totally 100 920 applications for the change of insurance company from next year. Policyholders are able to change the health insurance company only once a year. If policyholder wants to change the insurance company from January 1, 2013, the application has to be submitted until September 30, 2012. Last year totally 162 399 applications were submitted, of which 5 068 were not accepted by the Authority due to different mistakes. From January 1, 2012 thereby totally 157 331 policyholders have changed the health insurance company.

Medical Trade Union believes that any doctor does not perform his/her mission because of possible vision of chocolate or flowers. He, however, also claims that designating the patient, who after providing of health care bring doctor the chocolate or flowers as briber, deeply abases his worthiness. Medical Trade Union considers as accepting of bribe each situation, when doctor directly or through an intermediary for him/herself or for other person receives, requests or accept the promise of bribe to act or refrain from acting by breaching of his obligation under his employment, profession, position or function. 

Chaos in charges set by hospitals continues. People cannot get used to it and keep complaining. Patients are discontent and claim that it is not clear for what they exactly pay. Besides medical performances not covered by health insurance companies, hospitals are asking for extra money for above standard by the accommodation or food, people pay also for using of their own notebook or radio in a hospital room. Charges are different in each hospital and the law is not being violated. Experts agree that until the acts will not exactly define what is standard and what is above standard in healthcare system, system cannot work well.