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HPI
Increasing of salaries may threaten the operation of large public hospitals or institutions. If they do not get more money from health insurance companies, they will not have money for energies, pharmaceuticals or payments to the Social insurance company. Money from health insurance companies are their largest and often also the only one income. New collective agreement, moreover, orders faculty hospitals associated in the Association of Faculty Hospitals to increase the wages of all healthcare professionals by 5% in April and July.
New collective agreement signed by trade unionists requires hospitals to increase salaries of all healthcare professionals in public hospitals in two phases, from April and from July this year, by 5% of their basic salary. In the case of doctors, nurses and midwives this will be an increasing beyond the recently adopted laws. Association of Faculty Hospitals and Slovak Health Trade Union disagree with this decision.
Ministry of Health has published new prices of pharmaceuticals, which should be valid from April. Association of suppliers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices is, however, convinced, that this have been done contrary to the law and constitution. Suppliers may still have pharmaceuticals in stock for old prices and now they will have to sell them in the intentions of Ministry. Suppliers of pharmaceuticals are expecting that due to this change their profits will decrease and in this case they are planning to ask for compensatory damages in accordance with the law on liability for damages caused by exercising of public authority.
Marián Kollár is no longer the head of Medical Trade Union. On the actual assembly of the trade union he informed its participants, that he resigns from the post of President and does not intend to continue to contest, as he promised by his re-election last year. Assembly chose Peter Visolajský from Faculty hospital in Nitra as a new President of Medical Trade Union.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia have made an agreement on the new contracts with health insurance company Dôvera. Their specific form will be developed on further negotiations between insurance company and particular hospitals. Members of Association will also comment on the proposal of the insurance company Union. Proposed increasing of payments, according to the Association, however, covers only the increasing of salaries of doctors from January 1st. Association will again negotiate with Dôvera on resources for higher salaries of nurses and second phase of increasing of salaries of doctors.
Ministry of Health (MoH) wants to prohibit the advertising of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Ministry claims that this measure will save public money, but doctors and suppliers of pharmaceuticals doubt this. They warn that no country in EU have this kind of prohibition. MoH defends this proposal and claims that allowed advertising of the pharmaceutical in smaller package influenced the increased prescribing of the same pharmaceutical in larger package covered by the health insurance company. Pharmacists as well as doctors have doubts about this argument.
In order to their salaries, nurses want to appeal on international courts and doctors want to close their clinics. Political party Smer does not enter into this dispute and refuses to declare, whether it is on the side of Slovak Medical Chamber, which wants to stop the increasing of nurses' salaries, or insists on respecting of the law, which Smer supported in the parliament. Smer wants to supply its statement after creating of new government, thus after April 4th. Act on increasing of wages of nurses should, however, enter into force on April 1st.
Last year, Union health insurance company reached the prescribed insurance in amount of € 241.4 million and a profit € 9 million. Equity of insurance company by the end of 2011 amounted to € 22.7 million. Union health insurance company has this year 408 000 policyholders. It is a subsidiary of international financial group Achmea B.V. established in Netherlands, which is also the largest insurance company in Netherlands.
Association of Hospitals of Slovakia, which associates dozens of regional hospitals, have made an agreement with private health insurance company Dôvera on the adjustment of pricing conditions from April this year. It will therefore recommend its members on individual negotiations to sign the amendments to the contracts. Agreed adjustment considers the ensuring of financial covering of first phase of increasing of salaries of doctors from January this year.
Several Slovak hospitals, including Children Cardio-centre in Bratislava, are struggling with the problem of insufficient material and technical equipment. Children Cardio-centre, however, received a gift from the company S&T Slovakia – new special neonatal adjustable bed and the unit for improving of lung functions of babies and small children, which should help doctors with the care of baby patients.
