HPI

From Slovakia have been exported more than a million drug packages last year. It is only about a third of what distributors reported with the intention to export. As is apparent from the data of the State Institute for Drug Control (SIDC), distributors announced export of more than 3.1 million packages, however, actually went abroad 1.03 mil. SIDC last year issued 113 decisions on not to permit the export of 85,875 drug packages. It was 24 pharmaceuticals, which export could mean unavailability for Slovak patients. Changes in the export policy introduced an amendment to the Act on Drugs and Medical Devices last year. Export of medicines is since then monitored. Distributors must report to SIDC intention to export the drug.

Pharmaceutical companies spend annually around 40 million euros on the promotion and marketing. This money is used to sponsor doctors and pharmacists. The Ministry of Finance plans to tax these promotional activities. For example, if the company has paid doctors for participation in the Congress, than has to pay 19 per cent tax from the amount company spent on it. Companies and practitioners disagree with this tax. Currently, sponsorship is in the declaration of taxes listed by doctors. Ministry of Finance, however, seem suspicious amounts they admitted. Pharmaceutical companies have reported that they spent more than 41 million on the promotional activities, but doctors according to the Ministry taxed only tens of thousands of euros.

Health insurance companies (HIC) returned payments for drugs for the last quarter of 2013 to thousands of disabled persons and pensioners. Health insurance companies returned to policyholders by the safeguard limit hundreds of thousands euros. Policyholders will receive the money automatically; there is no need to apply for them. General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) will return supplements for drugs to 17.113 policyholders of which 9.966 are old-age pensioners and 7.147 are disabled persons. Overall, VšZP sends back € 325.667. Dôvera HIC sends back amount of 79.000 euros to 4.209 insured persons. Union Health Insurance Company returned payments to 1.281 policyholders of which 927 are severely disabled and 354 are pensioners. Together company will send 24.805 euros.

The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic approved buying hospitals in Žiar nad Hronom and Rimavská Sobota by investment group Penta. Hospitals are also running the facilities in Banská Štiavnica, Kremnica and Žarnovica. Penta will control these hospitals indirectly through the company Svet zdravia. This company already control ten health facilities. Financial group officially announced the transaction in December. Hospitals were bought from entrepreneur Peter Baran, who managed hospitals through the company NaP Holding. The Antimonopoly Office concluded that the concentration of medical facilities in the hands of Penta group will not jeopardize competition in a market.

At Teaching Hospital in Nové Zámky is more than 55% probability that caesarean birth takes place. In this hospital in 2012, 52.6 percent of all births were by Caesarean section. The hospital is argued that hospital is centralizing the riskiest cases in pregnancy and each caesarean is medically indicated. Slovak maternity hospitals have higher values on episiotomy, warn analysts from HPI. The World Health Organization recommends that doctors should not use this procedure in more than ten percent of the cases. The Slovak hospitals, however, used it in nearly 60 percent of births.

Best maternity hospitals in Slovakia are in Trenčín, Košice-Šaca and Čadca. This result from the evaluation of Maternity Hospital Guide 2013, which was coordinated by Health Policy Institute (HPI) and rodinka.sk. Ranking was based on the evaluation of services of 50 (of 54) maternity hospitals, which were interested to participate in this project. Evaluated was the quality of health care services provided by hospitals and also mother’s satisfaction. Overall, the winner is Teaching Hospital Trenčín, second was hospital in Košice-Šaca and third place received Kysuce Hospital and Polyclinic in Čadca. Trenčín hospital not just defence the leadership in the overall assessment, but also defence leadership in assessment of experts.

According to Health Policy Institute, debt of state-owned health care facilities will be 400 million euros by the end of the year. Ministry of Finance is not counting with this fact. According to the Ministry of Health, hospitals would not create new debt, and thus should be able to start to pay the old liabilities. At the end of last year, hospitals have 365 million debts. This year it may reach tens of millions of euros more. Such a scenario could be problematic for the state budget. That´s why hospitals tend to be annually known as one of its largest landmines. With what kind of debts of medical facilities Ministry of Finance is counting, Ministry did not said. According to experts, debt will continue to grow.

From 1 October 2013 Slovak Health insurance companies (HIC) will reimburse planned childbirth in the countries of the European Union. The insurance company will reimburse it up to a maximum average price for delivery in Slovakia. According to the legislation changes, for birth will mother pay directly in foreign birth centre and after that will request for refunding health insurance company. Reimbursed amount is the average price for the same performance in Slovakia. All three health insurance returned for childbirth about the same amount around € 600 for the birth itself and about 500 euros per child care.

The Ministry of Health has released the results of the second round of the tender for the license for providing ambulances. Within it Ministry reallocated licenses to operate 124 ambulances of ground emergency medical service. As is apparent from the results, the most of them received Falck Záchranná, Záchranná a dopravná zdravotnícka služba Bratislava, Záchranná služba Košice and ZaMED. Licences are valid for next six years, not four as it was in past. The first round of the tender was not successful for several regional hospitals. Their stations were acquired by private or public companies. In the second round several hospitals, on the contrary, obtain the licenses to continue the existing station.