HPI

Professional, trade union and corporative organizations in health care system increased their demands for additional financing from the state budget through higher payments for state policyholders (children, unemployed, elderly). While last month the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia and Slovak Medical Union of Specialists asked the payments on the level of at least 5% of the average wage, now all of the organizations are together asking the state for rising the payments to 5.5% next year (in 2012 the payment is 4%).

Children, whose parents refuse their compulsory vaccination, will be registered by the Public Health Office. This results from the mandatory statement of the Office for Personal Data Protection. According to it, doctors from May 1st received the authorization to provide personal data of underage individuals, who have not had a vaccination, for the Public Health Office.

Slovak Medical Chamber is trying again to stop the force of law, which from April mandatorily increases wages of nurses and midwives. Chamber therefore turned to the President of Parliamentary Health Comittee Richard Raši, who received more than 1 000 letters with the request of health care providers, members of Slovak Medical Chamber, for suspension of legal norm until it will be financially covered. Doctors are trying to stop the force of this law also through General Prosecutor's Office. 

Newest methods of unique way of treatment using stem cells were introduced by the world and domestic experts on the prestigious international conference about the adult cell stems. Experts were invited to Bratislava by MEP Miroslav Mikolášik, who says that these cells are unique not only in research, but especially for their incredible potential for the treatment of further serious diseases.  Umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord tissue, bone marrow and fat are sources of adult stem cells, to which the modern biomedical research predicts a huge therapeutic potential.

Program Manifesto of the government that emerged from the March early elections is in the healthcare chapter full of general phrases. According to the opposition members of Parliament it does not suggest anyt solutions to the problems of the sector. According to the member of Parliament, Viliam Novotný, whatever the Government does, it can be arranged so that it will look in accordance with the vague Manifesto. According to him, the Manifesto is missing any mention about the planned payments for diagnosis (DRG), information about regional hospitals, or commitment of higher payments for the state policyholders.

Last year totally 1 391 complaints on health care provision were filled to the Healthcare Surveillance Authority and another 260 complaints had to be solved from the previous year. Less than one thousand complaints were related to the review of the good medical practice, but only 282 of them the Authority evaluated as justified. Most amercements, a total of five, were given by Authority to the general hospital in Rimavská Sobota. 

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská plans to start another round of negotiations with healthcare employers on the nurses' salary issue. At the negotiating table she should meet with the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, trade unionists and the representatives of private doctors. The exact date of the meeting is not known yet.

Pharmaceutical companies warn that new redistribution of pharmaceuticals from July will bring higher additional surcharges for patients. They note that while insurance companies will pay less, the surcharges of the patient might in some cases increase by 600%. Ministry of Health was surprised by the reaction of pharmaceutical companies.

Minister of Health agreed with insurance companies that they will give money from € 50 million reserve in state budget in full amount to the hospitals and outpatient clinics, which need them to cover the higher wages of healthcare professionals. State, however, can not force private insurance companies Dôvera and Union to forward all apportioned money to health care providers. State has such a power only in case of state owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Minister thus received from the association of insurance companies only the verbal promises. The written agreement in the form of common memorandum is being prepared.  

Robert Fico´s Government plans to implement strict control of hospital management. Government, however, does not want to continue with the transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies, intended by the previous Government. Fico's cabinet will allegedly not admit the privatization of economically lucrative activities of hospitals and will create the conditions for their financial stabilization. Government will not transform the university, faculty and public hospitals into joint-stock companies in the next 4 years. This way it wants to prevent their privatization and reducing of the quality of provided health care, as well as the threatening of the existence of hospitals.