HPI

As results from the report on development of the debts in health care system, new management of Ministry of Health plans to continue in decreasing of expenses on pharmaceuticals from the public health insurance. Planned measures involve the de-listing of supportive and supplementary pharmaceuticals from the reimbursement from health insurance and tightening of the rules of price-referencing of the pharmaceuticals. Ministry also expects savings due to creation of central purchasing unit. This unit will, based on the comparison of prices of all institutions in the scope of MoH, recommend the purchase price. 

Risk-adjusted redistribution of health insurance contributions between the insurance companies on the basis of morbidity of patients will bring first results next year. Acute problem of hospitals with the lack of funds for higher salaries of healthcare professionals will therefore not be solved by this measure. First fair redistribution will allegedly occur not sooner than in October or November and real effect may be expected in 2013. Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) has the highest risk-index and new redistribution should bring it approximately € 30 million extra. These could be afterwards distributed to hospitals.

First negotiation between nurses and new Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská did not bring any concrete results. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives and Minister were seeking for the solutions of the problem with statutory raise of salaries and allegedly took over some alternatives how to solve the situation with its financial covering. Minister will talk with Ministry of Finance and then she will meet nurses again.

Representatives of hospital in Poprad and health insurance company Dôvera negotiated on the new contract again. Both sides are allegedly finalizing the last details of agreement and are preparing themselves for its conclusion. Hospital in Poprad is from April the 1st non-contractual provider of health care for Dôvera policyholders. Hospital in Poprad is the only one healthcare institution which did not make an agreement with Dôvera on a new contract. 

Prime Minister Robert Fico asked Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská to prepare the legal measure, which would limit the opportunity of profit-making for health insurance companies in accordance with the Constitution as well as with international law. Profit-making has currently two conditions. First one is an obligation to use the profit for creating of reserve fund and second one is mandatory making of reserves for payments of patients on waiting lists.

Redistribution of health insurance contributions should be adjusted by a new parameter – morbidity (through PCG). This should be one of the system solutions which minister Zuzana Zvolenská wants to implement in the effort to find money for higher salaries of healthcare professionals. Contributions from policyholders are currently redistributed by Health Care Surveillance Authority on the basis of age, sex and economic activity of patients. Adding the predictor of morbidity would allegedly mean that the state-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) would get additional € 30 million from private health insurance companies. 

President Ivan Gašparovič and representatives of doctors, hospitals and trade unions agreed on their meeting that the situation in health care is extremely serious and requires acute solutions. According to the head of the state it is necessary to quickly amend the existing health laws and he also expects that state should increase the payment for its policyholders. Next week he will talk about the necessary steps with Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská.

New Minister of Health, Zuzana Zvolenská, asked hospitals not to push nurses to unfavourable contracts. On her first meeting with nurses they discussed how to find money for statutory increasing of their salaries. Minister says that money could be gained by better setting of healthcare system or by finishing the setting of prices of pharmaceuticals. She has already negotiated about this situation with Minister of Finance and claims that she did not ask for money out of health chapter. Minister wants to find money also in the state-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company).

Salaries of nurses in hospital in Malacky are from April not in accordance with law. Hospital for now does not increase the salaries to the minimum level of € 640 granted by the law, as, according to its director, hospital does not have resources for it. Management of hospital offered nurses the amendments to their contracts, which divided their duty for medical and administrative part. Nurses refused it, so the original contracts remain in force. Hospital is now expecting the visit from the labour inspectorate, which will examine whether the wage situation is in accordance with the law. 

Small shareholders are preparing the proposal for issuing of interim measure, which will prevent the selling of the assets of Zentiva Hlohovec. The reason is their fear that main shareholder (joint-stock company Zentiva) wants to sell Zentiva Hlohovec deeply below its price. Share of small shareholders on the fixed assets of the company is on the level of 1%. As results from the statement of small shareholders, the major shareholder allegedly obscures the facts about the sale, which has technically already started.