HPI

In several departmental organizations of the Ministry of Health after taking up of new Government number of well-paid positions were cancelled as redundant. According to the director of state emergency service in Bratislava in the times of former management were sequentially added 18 managers – non-health functions, which, however, according to him were not necessary. He informed that wage costs on these positions monthly constituted about € 33 000, what means almost € 400 000 per year.

Situation, which occurred after application of the acts on increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses into the practice, is according to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, serious, even more serious, than it was originally anticipated. The financial resources, which were declared by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik as available on the accounts of insurance companies, are not there. As he added, the only resource, which is able to be used is the € 50 million reserve, which is in state budget for solving of crisis situations.

Association of Hospitals in Slovakia considers to attact the constitutionality of the Act, which ensures increasing of their salaries. In case that Association would implement its intention, the proceeding of Slovak Medical Chamber against nurses will be repeated. Slovak Medical Chamber in March filed an action to the General Attorney with the aim to stop the force of law on minimum wages of nurses. President of the Association, Marián Petko, sees no basic difference between both acts. Members of the Association will decide on their Council meeting, whether they will apply to the General Attorney or not.

Associations of the patients with sclerosis multiplex (SM) are asking the Ministry of Health (MoH) to start to addict to their requirements for a change. In other case they are ready to launch the petition. Crucial for them will be today´s meeting of the Categorization Committee for Pharmaceuticals. Request on the Ministry of Health consists of several basic points, such as solving of the problem of indication restrictions or the wrong setting of the system.

Other healthcare professionals also want the same wage conditions as nurses. Act on nurses allegedly detracted from the variable component of the wage of other healthcare professionals, as the salaries of nurses were solved from their resources. Chamber of other healthcare professionals, however, does not plan any coercive actions or petitions. Representatives of the Chamber, which represents about 15 000 healthcare employees, today negotiated on their requirements with the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. They have allegedly agreed on the creation of new act for other healthcare professionals.

Delegates of Slovak Medical Chamber approved the decree, by which they ask Parliament, Government and Ministry of Health for a change of the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses with taking into account of the expertness and demands of work. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives criticize these steps. In the case of required changes in the area of expertness of nurses they are asking the Slovak Medical Chamber to support firstly the change of competency of nurses and midwives, which would reflect their expertise in accordance with acquired qualification and specialization level of education.

If the financing of health care should remain next year on the current level and current range of health care should be maintained it would be according to the Minister of Health unsustainable. She accepted that amount of sources for next year depends also on financial condition of the state. As she however highlighted, one thing is the financial condition and the other one are priorities. Ministry is currently trying to continue in savings through pharmaceutical policy, as according to her, the share of finances on pharmaceuticals is still too large.

Medical trade unionists refuse the creation of common act, which would adjust the salaries of all healthcare employees including doctors and nurses. Opening of medical act trade unions considers as an attack to the social harmony achieved by signing of memorandum with Government at the end of last year. Trade unionists are in the case of opening of this act considering the repeating of their original requirements, which they gave up for maintaining of social harmony in Slovak Republic. 

Private company offering a neonatal screening for ten most common inherited metabolic disorders embarrassed Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. Company is competing with similar project of state Newborn Screening Centre in Children's Faculty Hospital in Banská Bystrica. Commercial screening, however, has to be paid by parents. According to the Minister of Health Slovakia belongs to the best countries in the neonatal screening and she does not like the replacing of above standard commercial activity for screening.

Slovakia as the only country of European Union has the biggest free e-learning portal for doctors. It is, however, not available for doctors working in the capital city. This is caused by the rules of the Union, which under Structural funds finances this project. Slovak legislation and the Ministry of Health allegedly cannot influence this fact. The rule is set by the European Union and in the frame of projects sponsored from Structural Funds it applies also to other countries.