HPI

Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik did not make an agreement with representatives of the providers of emergency services even at their last negotiation. From February, ministry is planning to save on the emergency ambulances annually around € 5 million. According to the providers this will result in old ambulances and cheaper medical equipment. Ministry, allegedly, contrary believes that reduction of payments for ambulances will not affect the patients and the quality of care. President of the Association of Emergency Medical Service claim that some providers will defend through the legal way.

Providers of emergency care are asking the Prime Minister Iveta Radičová to stop the planned reduction in payments for emergency services, by which the Ministry of Health from February wants to save annually around € 5 million. According to them the reduction in payments will have an impact on the patient, as the equipment of the crews of emergency medical aid will reach the necessary minimum and the new one will not be bought. Representatives of the ambulances also argue that this measure is missing an economical reasoning and logic. At the meeting with Prime Minister they want to submit their requirements, arguments and proposed solutions.

Association of the Slovak Hospitals and Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP, General Health Insurance Company) finally made an agreement. This is a result of a meeting of small healthcare institutions and the largest insurance company on the market. Association will allegedly recommend its members to sign the amendments to the contracts. Insurance company confirmed that they have agreed to increase the payments from the February 1^st 2012. According to its spokeswoman this arrangement is, however, the subject to streamlining of the costs in particular hospitals, which will, however, not affect the availability of the health care.

Doctors are allegedly asking for the declaration of emergency state because of problems with vaccines. According to the President of paediatric section of Slovak Medical Chamber the Council of Chamber should discuss this option and afterwards ask for the declaration of emergency state. President of the Chamber Milan Dragula reportedly has to familiarize himself with the situation after last meetings and then he will decide on the convening of the Council. Doctors will probably, due to the change in the way of purchasing and billing of the vaccines, recourse to the Constitutional Court.

Hospitals in Levice and Topoľčany are showing a loss even despite the maximum efforts to save. Both hospitals are managed by the non-profit organization Hospitals with clinics, which was set up by Nitra region. According to the president of the organization there is nowhere to save in the hospitals, but, nevertheless, their common loss is about € 1 million. According to her, the reason of increased cost, inter alia, is the introduction of liability for enlistment for inactive work readiness in both hospitals, but also an increasing of VAT and the minimum wage.

Hospitals should prescribe patients less pharmaceuticals, medical devices and laboratory tests. Otherwise they will not get money for higher salaries of doctors and nurses from Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). If they reduce their monthly costs by approximately € 4 million, insurance company will from February give them around € 2 million monthly more. According to head of insurance company the reduction of the consumption of pharmaceuticals will not affect the patients and he also claims that hospitals are currently buying and using the pharmaceuticals very ineffectively.

According to daily SME from 30/01/2012 higher salaries of doctors from January 1^st will be covered by the Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). But the question is how the hospitals will handle further increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses this year. Overall, € 117 million is necessary for the salaries this year. For this, however, Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa does not have enough money, this year it will probably be missing around € 27 million. Insurance company wants to get € 14 million from the stricter pricing of pharmaceuticals and expects that hospitals will help to find € 35 million from more effective procurement of pharmaceuticals and devices. The remaining funds should be supplemented by the private insurance companies.

Ministry of Health has definitively decided on the reduction of the payments for providers of emergency medical service from April the 1^st. Compared with the original proposal their incomes will be decreased less, but ambulances are, nevertheless, dissatisfied. Decreased will be lastly only the fee for the ambulances without physiacian, which will fall from € 16,928.90 to € 16,028.46. Primarily it should have been reduced to € 15,200. According to the Ministry a total savings should this year reach an amount of € 2.4 million.

Negotiations of the Ministry of Health with the Slovak Medical Chamber and the Association of General Physicians for Children and Adolescents led to an agreement on the next steps in solving current problems with purchasing of vaccines. MoH, however, will not change the law but promised the simplification and removing of some administrative barriers, which will allow doctors an easier access to vaccines. Vaccines will be reportedly centrally purchased by the state and doctors will call down on them in the regional healthcare authorities.

Nurses and midwives will get financially better from April, as the members of Parliament approved the Act on minimum wages. Average wage claim of nurses and midwives, in comparison with the salary in the first half of last year, will increase by 23,89%. Minister of Health claims that increased expenses on wages should be covered by the combination state budget, as well as internal savings measures.