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HPI
Increasing of the salaries approved by Parliament could be reportedly more harmful than helpful for nurses and midwives, daily Pravda reports. If hospitals do not have enough money, they will try to save by shifting the nurses to lower positions or they will dismiss them. The chairman of Slovak Trade Union of Health and Human Services warns before such a situation. According to him there is a threat that healthcare institutions will be looking for different ways how to avoid the increasing of salaries of nurses.
According to the President of the Association of Medical Emergency Service Ivo Krpelan the Ministry of Health will save on the ambulances more than it informed in its former statement. Since February 1st the new pricing measure, which is decreasing a fee for ambulances without physician, is in force. According to the Association, however, the overall impact will not be only € 2.7 million, as MoH claims, but in fact it will be € 4.7 million, as was stated in the original proposal of the Ministry. Pricing measure is according to the Association non-conceptual and non-systematic.
According to the Slovak Medical Union of Specialists the outpatient clinics, which are employing highly qualified nurses, will not get any money from Government or from insurance companies for ensuring the compliance with the new Act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives. President of the Union considers the Act as conscious, targeted and unconstitutional effort of the Government to eliminate the private clinics.
Act on pharmaceuticals, which has been valid only for two months, will be probably changed. Ministry of Health has submitted its amendment to the public comments. The reason should be the need to implement the Directive of the European Union. Amendment should apply from July 21st this year, but the intention of the Ministry is reportedly the approval of the proposal by the Government before the premature elections in March. Amendment, inter alia, mitigates the rules of offering the presents and benefits to the healthcare professionals from the pharmaceutical representatives.
Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents is protesting against the declaration of Ministry of Health that it has definitely agreed with doctors on the process of mandatory vaccination of children. This information was published on the website of the MoH. Association has reportedly not participated on any negotiations with MoH on the day in question. As false designated the Association also the publicized information that vaccination in its new regime is only a problem of small group of doctors.
According to the Vice President of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, the nurses working in social care homes are, against their will, being shifted to the position of social nurse. This measure, according to her, is related to the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses, which from April the 1st increases their wages. Currently is reportedly a difference between the salary of nurse and social nurse only a few euros, but from April the 1st it may be, depending on the number of hours worked, even few hundred euros.
Operators of emergency services, who will, according to the new set of payments, have problem to meet material, technical and personal requirements, will be enabled to return the licenses for their operation, said Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik. According to him the quality of emergency services is strictly controlled and will be henceforward monitored. If some of them will have a problem with the fulfilment of specified requirements, or will decide to no longer provide the emergency service, they will be enabled to return their license.
Most pharmaceuticals in Slovakia are prescribed for persons with cardio-vascular problems, especially pharmaceuticals for high blood pressure. This follows from the scale of 25 most prescribed pharmaceuticals in third quarter of last year, published by the National Health Information Centre. On the first place was a drug prescribed as an anti-inflammatory drug and anti-clotting drug together with pills for high blood pressure. Next was the drug for veins and afterwards the analgesic. Common illnesses, such as various colds and viral, are according to the National Health Information Centre treated by the over-the-counter pharmaceuticals.
Participants of 3rd Slovak Vaccinological Congress, held in Tatras, do not agree with the fact, that GP's should be obligated to purchase from own resources the vaccines for mandatory vaccination guaranteed by state. In their opinion, sent to Minister of Health and President, they specified, that they are strongly identified with the joint statement of several medical associations, which in mid-December called upon the ministry to immediately ensure the fulfilment of mandatory obligations relating to the mandatory vaccination of persons.
Slovak family bank of umbilical cord blood is 10 years old. Since 2002 there has been stored umbilical cord blood of 41 339 children. Blood is still available for patients who pay for its storage. Beside that patients who may use the blood for their needs the bank can provide haematopoietic stem cells also to their siblings. Currently is also being considered its use for mothers.
