News

Unused pharmaceuticals that people have not used, will be soon accumulated in pharmacies. State Institute for Drug Control (SIDC), which used to pay for their collection and disposal each spring and autumn, has stopped the autumn collection. The reason is a lack of money and situation will not get better even next year, even though this service is set by the law. For now it is not clear when the collection will be renewed. Pharmacies will until then have to store the unused pharmaceuticals by themselves. 

Slovakia will probably have a National Transplant Organization. It should be a coordination part in all transplantation processes with exactly set tasks and mandates. This organization will be, inter alia, issuing the written approval necessary for providers performing the export of tissues and cells out of Slovakia. This results from the amendment to the act on health care approved by members of Parliament. 

Healthcare institutions owed to the Social Insurance Company the unpaid premium by the end of June in amount of € 38.5 million. Compared to last year the debt increased by more than € 19.6 million. Receivables against state healthcare institutions reached € 19.6 million what is a half of the volume of receivable against all monitored institutions. Debts against transformed healthcare institutions by the end of June were in amount of € 18.8 million.

Public Health Office has established the hotline on which people may report the suspicion of corruption. According to the spokeswoman of the Office, Lenka Skalická, number +421 907 753 397 and e-mail address korupcia@uvzsr.sk can be used for reporting of suspicion of committing a crime of accepting a bribe, bribery, indirect corruption or abusing of authority. Public can report the suspicion of corruption considering the activities of all regional public health offices in Slovakia. 

Employers' associations think that for maintaining of social peace in healthcare system more money should be inserted into it. Employers' associations informed on this opinion Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská at the departmental tripartite. President of the Association of Private Doctors, Ladislav Pásztor, admitted that talking about increasing of rate for state policyholders to 5% from the tax base may not be realistic for now, but there will be for sure more money needed. 

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská is disappointed from the attitude of deans of medical faculties in relation to solving of situation which have arisen after termination of contracts between university hospitals and faculties. Zvolenská does not understand why representatives of medical faculties do not agree with submitted final proposals of contracts, which were discussed at the highest level. Comments of contractual parties were according to her incorporated into the contract on practical training and establishing of specialized education institution of public university. 

State does not have money for third increasing of salaries of doctors, on which the Government has agreed with Medical Trade Union during the last year's strike. According to the spokeswoman of Ministry, Zuzana Čižmáriková, in case of announced increasing of basic salaries of doctors would be endangered the providing of health care. Ministry of Health Zuzana Zvolenská claims that currently doctors earn above-average. State would, according to her, need € 37 million for next increasing of salaries.

Union Health Insurance Company is currently analysing the project of implementation of unitary system of public health insurance in Slovak republic made by Ministry of Health. Union, however declared that its attitude about maintaining of pluralistic system of health insurance remains unchanged. Union is according to its spokeswoman interested into cooperation with Slovak government on such reform steps, which will lead to the increasing of quality of health care in Slovakia.

Ministry of Health is afraid that Constitutional Court may thwart its effort to create one health insurance company. Ministry is therefore seeking for possibilities how to implement the new system before this really happen. The best possibility in this sense seems to be the so-called simultaneous merging into General Health Insurance Company. Unification of health insurance companies should be implemented on the basis of Act of transformation. General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) should thus become the legal successor of all health insurance companies. 

Whether doctors will get their salaries increased next year is still uncertain. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská keep negotiating with medical trade unions on the gradually payment of higher salaries. Head of Medical Trade Union Peter Visolajský believes that Government will be responsible and will keep its promises. With regard to the phases of third stage of increasing of salaries, trade unionists are, according to Visolajský, waiting for the offer. Spokeswoman of Ministry of Health Zuzana Čižmáriková promises that Medical Trade Union will get the proposals before next negotiation on salaries.