HPI

Insurance company Dôvera has signed the contracts with all university, faculty, regional and specialised health care institutions. Policyholders waiting for the planned operation may thus enter the hospitals. Part of the new contracts was also the dissolution of state reserve between providers. Hospitals will draw the reserve from July until the end of this year. It should cover the wage claims of nurses and doctors.

Despite the promises of outpatient care doctors that they will not charge patients for the visit in first week of July from today they will draw the check to chronic patients for some performances. Policyholders of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will thus pay by the visit of specialist or general practitioner for example for blood taking, laboratory examination, ultrasound examination or x-ray examination. VšZP advises its policyholders not to pay in outpatient clinics and despite the non-contract relationship plans to cover the examinations to doctors.

According to Prime Minister Robert Fico the state will have to handle with private health insurance companies while the solution might, according to him, be a one insurance company. He does not like that in time when state is looking for resources for salaries of nurses and doctors owners of private health insurance companies have high profits. According to Prime Minister, by creation of one insurance company it would not be a violent expropriation, as there is an option of purchasing of shares.

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will operate with another € 17 million. This will be enabled by the amendment to the Act on Health Insurance approved by Parliament last week. Legal standard newly defines the reporting of solvency of health insurance companies and abolishes the capital ratio and ratio of short-term obligations and liabilities. From July 1st only one solvency criterion is required: insurance company has to fulfill its obligations to providers within 30 calendar days from the day of maturity of liabilities.

Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives considers the proposal of General Prosecutor's Office as fabricated and purpose-built. As stated by the President of the Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives Viliam Záborský, if state does not accept the legitimate claims of nurses, they will fight for their rights by using of all possible resources. According to him, if nurses still have to work under such circumstances and if the value system and need of quality health care do not matter, nurses will have to leave.

Patients with acute otorhinolaryngology problems currently do not have a possibility to find a medical emergency in Trnava. Faculty hospital cancelled it from June due to the lack of doctors in this department. Adult patients, who need doctors out of office hours in hospital and policlinic, will have to travel 50 km to Bratislava, where the care is ensured in The Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) in the University hospital.

From now the prescribing doctor should bear the responsibility for prescription of unregistered human pharmaceuticals. For therapeutic use of such pharmaceuticals also the previous written informed approval of patient should be required. This results from the proposal of the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals and medical devices made by Ministry of Health, which was shifted to the second reading by members of Parliament. Legislation measure strengthens the supervision over human pharmaceutical, supervision over the market and sanctions for non-compliance with the relevant provisions.

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance company) suspects outpatient doctors - who announced that if they do not get more money, they will not sign the new contracts - from cartel agreement and prepares the suggestion to the Antimonopoly Office. VšZP started to send doctors the amendments with increased prices before the end of validity of current contract and believes that they will face the proposal correctly and responsibly. According to the VšZP, even the possible mandate contract for representation does not exempt doctors from the possibility to decide. Doctors, according to the VšZP, may sign the amendment separately, regardless to the decision of their professional organizations.

Outpatient doctors do not want to accept the offer of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Current contracts are valid only until the end of the month. Slovak Medical Chamber, Association of Private Doctors and Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents, which together represents about 70% of outpatient doctors, are asking the insurance company for increasing of payments on the level of 20%. Insurance company, however, only offers the resources from the reserve. Associations therefore advise doctors not to sign the contracts.

From July, 72 employees from hospitals in Levice and Topoľčany will lose their jobs. The dismissing is related to the saving measures, forced by the increasing of wages of doctors and nurses. Hospitals belong to Nitra self-governmental region, which controls them through its non-profit organization. Each hospital will dismiss 36 people, mostly the office workers and lower health care professionals.