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Wages of doctors working in hospitals will be next year increased as they are tied to the minimum wage. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská announced the 5% increasing of basic wages. On average it should, according to her, be € 20 - € 30. Medical Trade Union requires and insists on fulfilling of the Memorandum signed between Government and trade unions, which meant the ending up of mass statements of doctors. Memorandum, among other things, talks also about the increasing of salaries of doctors in hospitals from January 2013. 

Common protest action of doctors from V4 countries will take place on November 20, 2012. Trade unions have already announced this action, the date and number of involved hospitals was, however, unknown. In Slovakia, the event will take place in 5 institutions – F. D. Roosevelt faculty hospital in Banská Bystrica, Faculty hospital in Žilina, L. Pasteur University hospital in Košice, University hospital in Bratislava – Kramáre and Faculty hospital in Prešov.

New central reception and department of anaesthesiology and intensive care in hospital Malacky will improve the quality of services not only for residents of Malacky, but also for the whole region Záhorie, including the west neighbourhoods of Bratislava. Reconstruction project lasted two years. It was financed by Bratislava region in cooperation with private company Nemocničná, Inc. Cost on reconstruction amounted to € 4.5 million. Reconstruction was carried out according to the plan and during its realization there was no discontinuation of providing of health care. 

Smoking in shopping centres might be stopped. Businessmen are announcing the closing of coffeehouses. They claim that for companies and tradesmen providing cafes in these centres this will be liquidating. Ministry of Health is, however, decided to get though as according to the head of the Ministry, Zuzana Zvolenská, the number of children who are smoking is annually increasing. The definitive ban of smoking was already an object of discussion several times in the past. Last time it was in 2010, when it, however, did not pass again. 

National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Inc. is preparing the building-up of a new cardio-centre in the neighbourhood of its premises in Bratislava - Kramáre. Investment should totally reach € 43 million. New project of Children Cardio-centre has allegedly 5 floors and total area including technical facilities will have 10 162 square meters. The bed capacity should increase, what should lead to reducing of waiting periods for the necessary interventions. 

Former management of hospital in Trnava has signed the contract for reconstruction, but did not know the price offers of others. Hospital has chosen a supplier of reconstruction works without knowing the prices of the competition. Public procurement was not even announced. The construction works were not carried out through the contract for work, but on the basis of partial offers. Invoiced amount significantly exceeded the coverage.  

Wage requirements were after doctors and nurses introduced also by physiotherapists. They would like to see their salaries on the level of € 650 to € 1 407 gross. This all should depend on education, attained specialization and number of years of experiences, where each 5 years of experiences would mean 5% increasing of salary. Physiotherapists developed the proposal partly from their own initiative and partly at the request of the Ministry of Health.

Permits for ambulances should be valid for longer time, as the Ministry of Health proposed the prolongation of validity of permits for operation of emergency medical service ambulance from 4 to 6 years. Proposal of the amendment to the act on healthcare providers approved by the Government also brings the obligation for submitting, together with the application for issuing of permit, of the document on personal ensuring for providing of ambulance and the project of the strategy and development of emergency medical service. 

Ministry of Health does not have a review on the duties of hospital doctors in Slovakia and even hospitals do not know the number and kind of other duties of doctors working on part-time. The law does not require doctors to inform about it. According to the analyst Dušan Zachar from Ineko, the Ministry should aim to publish the list of doctors also with their duties as was some time ago made by Ministry of Education with the university employees. 

Medical trade unionists are against the creation of one health insurance company. They suggest that state should better give money assigned for buying of private health insurance companies for increasing of their salaries. They have declared this on Tuesday in front of the Government Office and brought the request for an early meeting with Prime Minister to the filling room. Prime Minister referred them on this issue to the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. Doctors expect from January also the third promised increasing of salaries. Government considers this as impossible.