News

Children's Faculty Hospital in Bratislava obtained thanks to the Association for Oncology a new device worth € 10 000, which will facilitate the examination of minimal residual disease, help patients and facilitate the work of experts. This method belongs to the most modern approaches in the treatment of leukemia. New device will save a whole day work of many workers and it is a part of the complex of examinations. 

Political party OĽaNO wants to introduce to political party Smer-SD the amendment to the act that would prohibit the profit of health insurance companies. According to the head of the party, Igor Matovič, it would be an amendment to the constitutional act, which would newly define the health insurance as a public interest, and amendment to the act on health insurance companies, which would prohibit their profits. Profit could be according to him created from savings from package, which is legally intended for their overhead expenses. 

Hundreds of healthcare professionals and citizens of Žilina protesting against the cancelling of departments in hospital in Žilina have met on the meeting, where the dissatisfaction with measures in faculty hospital was declared. According to the head of Medical Trade Union, Peter Visolajský, the cancelling of departments does not mean a savings on wages, but the failure to provide health care. Management of hospital in its statement refused the intimidation and claims that doctors were offered to negotiate. 

Medical trade unionists called by the letter on the Minister of Health to dismiss the director of faculty hospital in Žilina, Štefan Volák. He officially asked three trade unions of Žilina hospital to agree with the notice for Vice President of Medical Trade Union and President of basic organization of Medical Trade Union in Faculty hospital in Žilina, Peter Blaško. According to the trade unionists it is a discriminatory behaviour of the management of hospital due to his activity related to organization of symbolic protest for fulfilling of Memorandum. 

State General Health Insurance Company plans to extend its influence in hospitals. From January it should start choosing for healthcare institutions the external suppliers of laboratory tests. Currently it is already centrally purchasing some pharmaceuticals for them. According to the Director of General Health Insurance Company, Marcel Forai, the aim of central purchasing is saving. Central purchasing of laboratory tests should save approximately € 6-7 million in 2013. 

A week after the protest of healthcare professionals from V4 countries the doctors in Slovakia will strike again. This time it will not be a nationwide action, protest will take place only in hospital in Žilina. Assembly is organized by its employees who, according to the President of Medical Trade Union Peter Visolajský, do not agree with cancelling of department for long-term sickness and orthopaedic department, as well as with dismissing of head of medical trade unionists in Faculty hospital in Žilina, Peter Blaško. Protest will take place on Monday, November 26, at 3.30 pm in front of the hospital in Žilina. 

New system of financing of hospitals will not be ready sooner than in 2016. This was admitted by the head of Healthcare Surveillance Authority, Monika Pažinková. The pilot phase of so called DRG – collection of data in hospitals – should have been launched already at the beginning of next year. Live operation was scheduled for 2014. Implementation of DRG will not take place in this time. According to Pažinková, office will, however, do everything possible to start with collecting of data at the end of next year and continue in 2014 and 2015. 

State insurance company started to revaluate the contracts with hospitals. In the half of next year it should know, where the contract will be signed and where will sing just with conditions. From January next year General Health Insurance Company (VšZP) will not make a contract with plastic surgery in Faculty hospital in Nitra. Four other departments in Nitra region have conditional contracts. Therefore they have to remove the inadequacies found by state insurance company until the half of a year. For now the management of insurance company dealt only with hospitals in Nitra region.

In case that Parliament adopts the act on expropriation of private health insurance companies, company Penta Investments will likely turn to Constitutional Court. This financial group, which is a shareholder of health insurance company Dôvera, according to its co-owner Martin Kúšik, does not have a good position in terms of arbitration or court action. He added, that policyholders will benefit the most from maintaining of competition in health insurance, as they will be able to choose, which service is most convenient for them. 

20 doctors in Faculty hospital in Žilina should lose their jobs. Endangered is the operation of the department for long-term sick patients, but also the orthopaedic department for children and adults. According to involved doctors the management wants to punish them for disobedience. On Tuesday, the day of the protest of doctors from V4 countries, the trade unionists from Žilina received the proposal of statement also for the Vice President of Medical Trade Union, Peter Blaško. Director of hospital in Žilina refuses the connection between the statements and protest action of doctors.