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News
Members of Parliament now put the Slovak act on pharmaceuticals from December 2010 into accordance with the Direction of EU Parliament and EU Committee. Changes ensure the closer supervision over the pharmaceuticals for people especially by tightening of requests for the pharmaceutical registration holders – pharmaceutical companies. For the treatment with unregistered pharmaceutical the prescribing doctor will assume the responsibility. Patient has to agree in writing with this treatment and the approval will be a part of his/her documentation.
Shareholders of Dôvera and Union know the current value of their insurance companies, but refuse to divulge this information. Prime Minister, Robert Fico, admits that to agree on the price will be probably the most demanding task in the process of creation of one health insurance company. Penta, shareholder of Dôvera, insists on its remaining on the health insurance market. It, however, admits that Parliament might not allow it. Penta is therefore ready for the negotiations on the further proceeding. Shareholder of Union health insurance company, company Achmea, expressed the regret over the decision of Government.
Radiologists from Trstená have in practice shown the errors of the law, which guaranteed the higher salaries for nurses, but did not consider other healthcare professionals. All seven laboratory employees from radiology department in this hospital gave the notice. Without them hospital had to stop the operations, X-ray and CT examinations. After a week of negotiations they have withdrawn their notices without the promise of higher salaries. Representative of radiologists, Ernest Urban, says that by this radical step they did not want to cripple the operation of the hospital, but only wanted to draw an attention to the salary discrimination.
Children's Faculty Hospital with Polyclinic in Banská Bystrica will not use the current stoppage of the force of act on minimum wage claims of nurses and will not change the wages of its nurses. This year's increasing of wages is integrated into the contracts of employees and thus they would have to agree with that. Statutory increasing of wages of healthcare professionals has led to the indebtedness of this hospital.
Government has approved the intention to create one health insurance company managed by the state. The change should occur with or without the approval of the shareholders of private health insurance companies. Detailed proposal of the process is about to be developed by the Ministry of Health by the end of September. According to the Prime Minister, Robert Fico, the new system could become operational from January 2014. Ministry of Health for now considers three various ways how to implement its plan.
Ministry of Health proposes to include into the terminal network of hospitals totaly 34 hospitals and 2 medical institutions. Concept of terminal network of hospitals in Slovakia will be renewed from October. Network should include 8 institutions from Bratislava region, 7 from Košice region and 6 from Banská Bystrica region. Nitra and Žilina region will have both 4 institutions included, Prešov region will have 3 and Trnava and Trenčín 2 institutions included.
According to the former Minister of Health, Ivan Uhliarik, it is unbelievable, what has happened in the case of act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives. Nurses according to him deserve higher salaries, act was approved by 141 members of Parliament and afterwards the former President of Slovak Medical Chamber and current adviser of Prime Minister, Milan Dragula, has proposed to the General Prosecutor to be turned to Constitutional Court. Uhliarik declared that he fully supports the protest of nurses.
Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) has submitted another initiative to the Healthcare Surveillance Authority for the unfair recruitment of policyholders. Policyholder of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa was requested by alleged employees of insurance company Union, who have falsely informed her about the end of other insurance companies and defined Union as health insurance company, where she should be insured. According to its spokeswoman Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa in these days experienced also several further cases of unfair recruitment of policyholders.
Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská plans to introduce the intention of implementation of unific health insurance system on today's meeting of Government. There are several legislation possibilities for the creation of one health insurance company in Slovakia. Members of Government should today also nominate new President of Healthcare Surveillance Authority. Current President Ján Gajdoš gave up this function.
Ministry of Health has already submitted to Government its intention to create one health insurance company. This material outlines various ways how this change could take place. It does not, however, indicate how much might this transaction cost. It talks only about “reasonable compensation”, which the shareholders of private health insurance companies should get. According to the spokeswoman of the Minister, Zuzana Čižmáriková, the deeper analysis will follow after approving of initial material by the Government.
