—
HPI
Four hospitals in Žilina self-governmental region ended in last year, despite austerity measures, with € 2.2 million loss. From April 2012 they are endangered by a collapse, because Government did not relief their debts and because of the lack of financial resources for the increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses. Hospitals will only have resources for the gross wages and payments for employees and will get more and more indebted. According to the chairman of Žilina self-governmental region the situation is serious and region will have to proceed to radical measures and rationalization.
L. Pasteur University hospital in Košice will be henceforward led by Tomáš Sieber. Sieber, current interim director, competed in the tender for this position with only one competing candidate – Zdena Baranová, the former director of hospital in Hnúšťa. Sieber set as his goals the adoption of rationalization measures, which should contribute to the financial stabilization of the hospital, but also the improving of cooperation between University hospital and Medical Faculty in Košice.
Association of Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices is requiring the implementation of the evidence of the export of Slovak pharmaceuticals abroad. Since December the price of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia shifted to the level of second lowest prices in EU and the re-export to the countries with higher prices is becoming an attractive business. Pharmaceutical companies have repeatedly pointed out that this may lead to the situation, when our market will miss some pharmaceuticals.
Bratislava's Old Town district together with Regional Public Healthcare Authority in Bratislava opened a new Health advisory centre. This centre will provide free expert advice on how to strengthen health, prevent chronic diseases, stop smoking or prevent mental disorders. According to the main Hygienist of Slovak Republic these preventive activities have not only a great importance for seniors, but they also have a positive economic effect for the state.
Health insurance company Dôvera considers the current initiative of outpatient doctors as unnecessary. According to the PR manager of the insurance company the fact, that contract between Dôvera and outpatient doctors ends on March 31st, has been known for a longer time. Contracts will therefore ends regardless of whether doctors terminated them or not. Currently the new contracts are reportedly being negotiated. Dôvera should send the proposal until the end of the month.
According to the leader of political party Smer, Robert Fico, it is necessary to adopt some measures in the health care. Fico would first of all forbid the profit of health insurance companies. He also claims that state will have to increase the health insurance contributions for its policyholders. As another serious problem he considers the fact that state did not relief the debts of the hospitals managed by self-government regions, but only the state hospitals. It was an incorrect decision, Fico said.
General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa – VšZP) wanted to transfer its assets to company's subsidiary. VšZP and the Ministry of Health wanted the Government to decide on the establishment of a subsidiary company of the state-owned insurance company VšZP. VšZP proposed to establish a subsidiary LLC and transfer its assets to it. The sub-company would manage it and the insurance company would hire it. After criticism, however, MoH stopped the proposal.
Outpatient doctors are terminating their contracts with the biggest private health insurance company Dôvera. The reason is, according to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, low payments. Termination of contracts applies to 3 100 outpatient clinics. This situation will currently not affect the patients, as the termination should be valid from the beginning of April. If doctors will not reach an agreement with the insurance company, they are not excluding protest actions.
Hospital doctors, who did not get increased salary, even though it is set by the law, may complaint to the MoH or bring a suit against hospital. However, those doctors who received lower January payment because hospitals did not pay them their personal allowance, just have to reconcile with the situation. The personal allowance is a not-claimable component of the salary and the employer does not have to admit it to the employee.
Medical Trade Union requires the further government to adopt an Act on doctors' wages. Wages of doctors should be thus adjusted by a special law, just like the wages of nurses and midwives. Proposal of the new law will be, according to the Medical Trade Union, in regard to the end of current election season, the subject of negotiation with future members of government.
