News

According to Minister Zvolenská, the offer of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) is four times higher than the annual percentage increasing of payments for providing of health care offered before. Doctors, however, still consider it as inadequate and are asking VšZP to add them 20%. Minister considers the claims of representatives of doctors as excessive. In addition, the offer of state insurance company is according to her information comparable with the offers of other health insurance companies. 

The Prime Minister Robert Fico wants to hurry with the buy-out of private health insurance companies. They should be replaced by one state health insurance company. Prime Minister also informed that insurance company Dôvera did not refuse the negotiations on this issue. Strongly against it is Union Health Insurance Company. Vision outlined by R. Fico will according to Union not bring the savings of public resources. Prime Minister justified his intention by the fact, that private health insurance companies are taking from public resources in the time, when Government is seeking for reserves to consolidate the public finances.

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská called on patients not to pay anything in the outpatient clinics. She pointed out that Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) has ensured everything so people do not have to pay for pharmaceuticals and examinations. Head of the Ministry therefore asked patients not to support doctors in their approach when they, according to her, abuse patients to force the state insurance company to agree to their excessive terms. 

Doctors still have not completed the negotiations with Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Both sides presented at today's joint negotiation their compromise proposals, but refused to informed about them. According to the President of Slovak Medical Chamber, Marian Kollár, they will now evaluate the compromise. Outpatient care doctors represented by Slovak Medical Chamber, Zdravita o.z., as well as the Association of General Practitioners for Children and Adolescents therefore continue to remain in non-contract relationship. 

Insurance company Dôvera has signed the contracts with all university, faculty, regional and specialised health care institutions. Policyholders waiting for the planned operation may thus enter the hospitals. Part of the new contracts was also the dissolution of state reserve between providers. Hospitals will draw the reserve from July until the end of this year. It should cover the wage claims of nurses and doctors.

Despite the promises of outpatient care doctors that they will not charge patients for the visit in first week of July from today they will draw the check to chronic patients for some performances. Policyholders of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will thus pay by the visit of specialist or general practitioner for example for blood taking, laboratory examination, ultrasound examination or x-ray examination. VšZP advises its policyholders not to pay in outpatient clinics and despite the non-contract relationship plans to cover the examinations to doctors.

According to Prime Minister Robert Fico the state will have to handle with private health insurance companies while the solution might, according to him, be a one insurance company. He does not like that in time when state is looking for resources for salaries of nurses and doctors owners of private health insurance companies have high profits. According to Prime Minister, by creation of one insurance company it would not be a violent expropriation, as there is an option of purchasing of shares.

Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company) will operate with another € 17 million. This will be enabled by the amendment to the Act on Health Insurance approved by Parliament last week. Legal standard newly defines the reporting of solvency of health insurance companies and abolishes the capital ratio and ratio of short-term obligations and liabilities. From July 1st only one solvency criterion is required: insurance company has to fulfill its obligations to providers within 30 calendar days from the day of maturity of liabilities.

Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives considers the proposal of General Prosecutor's Office as fabricated and purpose-built. As stated by the President of the Trade Union of Nurses and Midwives Viliam Záborský, if state does not accept the legitimate claims of nurses, they will fight for their rights by using of all possible resources. According to him, if nurses still have to work under such circumstances and if the value system and need of quality health care do not matter, nurses will have to leave.

Patients with acute otorhinolaryngology problems currently do not have a possibility to find a medical emergency in Trnava. Faculty hospital cancelled it from June due to the lack of doctors in this department. Adult patients, who need doctors out of office hours in hospital and policlinic, will have to travel 50 km to Bratislava, where the care is ensured in The Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) in the University hospital.