HPI

Slovaks visit the doctor during the year the most often among all EU countries. Annually 12 visits of general practitioner or specialist fall on each Slovak. Slovakia is then followed by Hungarians and Czechs. This results from the information of OECD, where the average is on the level of around 6 consultations per year. Slovakia is in the forefront also in the number of examinations carried out by one doctors, what is caused by the gradual loss of doctors.

Condition of Slovak hospitals fully reflects the situation in our healthcare system. Robert Fico's Government intends to change it through the completion of two large hospitals. Besides Rázsochy, which should serve to patients from whole country, Government wants to construct also the St. Michael Hospital for soldiers and policemen. The estimated date for initiating of the construction is second quarter of 2013.

President of the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, Marián Petko, plans to propose that hospitals should not decrease the salaries of nurses. Petko will promote and call on hospitals that even after the decision of the court some increasing of salaries of nurses will remain. According to him, it is logic, as the € 50 million reserve was approved and hospitals has already conclude the contracts with insurance companies. He noted that insurance companies gave a public promise to Minister of Health, that this money will be used for adjustment of salaries of doctors and nurses.  

Dôvera will this year have to pay the instalment in amount of more than € 25.8 million from almost € 180 million loan. From this loan were paid the liabilities against shareholders. Last year the operation costs of Dôvera reached € 26.5 million, an amount identical to the one, which insurance company will have to pay this year only for the instalment. Health insurance companies, however, have the statutory limit on how much they can spend on their operation. In 2011 Dôvera could have spent on its administration up to almost € 40 million.

Patient last year paid for surcharges approximately € 175.7 million, what is 8.3% more than in 2010. Compared to 2008 people paid even by € 21 million more. This negative growth should be stopped by the new categorization of pharmaceuticals, which is, according to the Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals, being prepared at the Ministry of Health. Surcharges for pharmaceuticals should be increased in average by 5%. More than a half of surcharges or their increasing will be in the group of pharmaceuticals for cardiovascular diseases. 

Nurses are planning to organize an event to protest against the decision of Constitutional Court, which has stopped the force of the act ensuring them increasing of wages from April. According to the President of Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives, Viliam Záborský, this should be the symbol that nurses are starting again from the beginning. Nurses, according to him, still prefer the decent form of bargaining, but in the future they do not exclude anything. 

Doctors and hospitals might have last year disseised the health care system of more than € 200 million. This was found out by health insurance companies, which by the controls detected the fictitious services or mistakenly billed procedures and pharmaceuticals. These were thanks to the controls finally not covered. Doctors are fighting back and blame the system. In the case, when insurance company find out, that doctor or hospital is charging the services, which have never been performed, they might end up in court. 

Private doctors, who increased the salaries of nurses and enshrined it into their contracts, will not cancel them for now. According to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, the decision of Constitutional Court is relevant for those, who have not increased the salaries of nurses until now and thus do not have to. As he noted, for now he does not know the exact wording of the decision. So he does not know, whether the Constitutional Court objected to the benefit of one group of healthcare professionals at the expense of others or that the money were not covered by state budget.

Nurses are considering the protesting marches, mass work stoppage or notices. This way they want to react to the decision of Constitutional Court, which suspended the force of the act increasing the salaries of nurses. Initiative to the Constitutional Court was submitted by Slovak Medical Chamber. Council of the Trade union of nurses, which will today negotiate in Bratislava, will finally decide on the reaction to the decision of the Constitutional Court.

Private health insurance company Dôvera has last year taken a long-term loan in amount of € 179.5 million. This should have been provided by the consortium of banks, of which name was, according to the bank secrecy, not betrayed. Part of these resources insurance company used for the payment of liabilities to shareholders. The loan is allegedly not being paid from the resources intended for health care.