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Anti-corruption measures in healthcare system proposed by Medical Trade Union are non-conceptual and contrary to several acts. This is claimed by the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia. Proposal, according to the Association, gives on one side a great power to supervisory boards which do not have any responsibility for the operation of hospital and on the other side reduces the competency of the director by managing and increases his/her criminal liability.
Permissions for emergency ambulances should be valid for the longer time. Ministry of Health proposed the prolongation of the validity of the license for providing of emergency medical service ambulance from 4 to 6 years. Proposal of the amendment to the Act on health care providers also require submitting together with the application for issuing of the permission the document on personal ensuring for providing of the ambulance and the project of strategy and development of the medical emergency service.
Association of Private Doctors is interested in cooperation with Ministry of Health on creating of unitary health insurance system, even though it considers the system with several insurance companies as the better one. This was stated on the general meeting of the association by newly re-elected President Ladislav Pásztor. He also added that Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská, who has also participated on this meeting, according to her own words expects their statements and professional help.
Medical Trade Union considers the statements of the President of the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Jozef Valocký, as a badge of incompetence and misleading. Valocký reacted to the criticism from the side of Medical Trade Union by saying that directors of hospitals have lower salaries than doctors in Trade Union. Trade Union stated that if the public procurements in hospitals were made “standardly”, there could be savings for third stage of increasing of salaries of doctors. Valocký afterwards called on Trade Union to stop slandering the directors of hospitals and stated that some hospitals are spending 100% of their incomes on salaries.
Joint replacement surgery is, compared to other OECD countries, not so usual in Slovakia. Slovakia is at the end of the scale in the number of these operations. Total hip or knee replacement is used for the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis. Lower number of operations, however, does not have to indicate that Slovaks are healthier in that respect. The reason could be also the poorer access to the treatment or more restrictive conditions, by which doctor may recommend the operation. Fewer operations may be also related to the lower overall life-span of citizens.
National Transplant Organization will be a coordination part of all transplant processes with exactly set tasks and mandates. Among other things, it will be issuing the written approval necessary for providers who provide the export of tissues and cells out of Slovakia. This results from the amendment to the act on health care signed by President Ivan Gašparovič. Ministry of Health will be responsible for establishing of the transplant organization.
Medical Trade Union claims that if the public procurements in hospitals were effective, there could be € 36 million saved per year. Association of Faculty Hospitals protest against this statement and call on Medical Trade Union to immediately stop slandering the directors of university and faculty hospitals. President of the Association pointed out that hospitals act in accordance with the legislation even in the situations when some of them spent 100% of their incomes from health insurance companies just for salaries.
Medical emergency professionals will probably have their own chamber. This is assumed in the proposal of the amendment to the act on healthcare providers, which has been submitted to the commentary proceeding by the Ministry of Health. According to the Ministry, the practice has shown that new adjustment for emergency professionals is necessary in order to fulfil the obligation of continuing education and its evaluation, as well as due to the diversity and complexity of actual performance of the profession.
Project of creation of one health insurance company made by the Ministry of Health has aroused the Slovak analysts. They absolutely do not agree with the implementation of one health insurance company. Analysts are collecting the signatures under collective comment, which has been already signed by people from HPI, INEKO and INESS Institutes, M. R. Štefánik Conservative Institute, M.E.S.A. 10 – Centre for economic and social analysis or the Forum of Independent Opinions.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia does not agree with the statement of Medical Trade Union that resources for increasing of salaries of doctors can be found in the better management of hospitals. Association claims that hospitals are currently giving more than 80% of their incomes from health insurance companies to salaries and they do not have any possibility or space for efficient management of their institutions. Association also claims that Trade Union has not submitted any principal proposals of system solution for stabilization and development of the healthcare system.