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Debts of hospitals against Social Insurance Company for three months increased approximately by € 10 million. Most dramatically increased the outstanding commitments of University hospital in Bratislava. Hospital already did not pay Social Insurance Company € 9 million. Overall the debt of the largest hospitals stands at € 30 million. Like in other hospitals, also here the delegated director Miroslav Bdžoch wants to solve the situation by the reduction of number of employees.

General hospital with polyclinic in Levoča opened a new oncology outpatient clinic. Month-long reconstruction of older facilities direct within the hospital area, in the surgery building and on the department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care was worth more than € 30 000. Oncology outpatient clinic was until now placed in the building outside of the area. Capacity of the clinic after reconstruction increased from two to three beds for application of chemotherapy, what will accelerate and improve the treatment of patients. 

According to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, the common act for all healthcare professionals solving their salaries does not mean, that Ministry will touch the contested wages of doctors and nurses. This way he reacted to the concerns of doctors, that the protests from last year will be repeated. As he added, he accepts that currently hospitals have a problem with paying higher wages, but Ministry according to him will not risk any further protests. 

Ministry of Health launched a recruitment process for directors' positions in hospitals – subsidized organizations and National Health Information Centre. Current directors are appointed to the office only temporarily, after the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská called out previous directors. Besides university and faculty hospitals the changes occurred also in the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine in Košice. For the positions of directors in specialized hospitals, which operate as joint-stock companies, Ministry launched the recruitment process in May. 

In several departmental organizations of the Ministry of Health after taking up of new Government number of well-paid positions were cancelled as redundant. According to the director of state emergency service in Bratislava in the times of former management were sequentially added 18 managers – non-health functions, which, however, according to him were not necessary. He informed that wage costs on these positions monthly constituted about € 33 000, what means almost € 400 000 per year.

Situation, which occurred after application of the acts on increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses into the practice, is according to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, serious, even more serious, than it was originally anticipated. The financial resources, which were declared by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik as available on the accounts of insurance companies, are not there. As he added, the only resource, which is able to be used is the € 50 million reserve, which is in state budget for solving of crisis situations.

Association of Hospitals in Slovakia considers to attact the constitutionality of the Act, which ensures increasing of their salaries. In case that Association would implement its intention, the proceeding of Slovak Medical Chamber against nurses will be repeated. Slovak Medical Chamber in March filed an action to the General Attorney with the aim to stop the force of law on minimum wages of nurses. President of the Association, Marián Petko, sees no basic difference between both acts. Members of the Association will decide on their Council meeting, whether they will apply to the General Attorney or not.

Associations of the patients with sclerosis multiplex (SM) are asking the Ministry of Health (MoH) to start to addict to their requirements for a change. In other case they are ready to launch the petition. Crucial for them will be today´s meeting of the Categorization Committee for Pharmaceuticals. Request on the Ministry of Health consists of several basic points, such as solving of the problem of indication restrictions or the wrong setting of the system.

Other healthcare professionals also want the same wage conditions as nurses. Act on nurses allegedly detracted from the variable component of the wage of other healthcare professionals, as the salaries of nurses were solved from their resources. Chamber of other healthcare professionals, however, does not plan any coercive actions or petitions. Representatives of the Chamber, which represents about 15 000 healthcare employees, today negotiated on their requirements with the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. They have allegedly agreed on the creation of new act for other healthcare professionals.

Delegates of Slovak Medical Chamber approved the decree, by which they ask Parliament, Government and Ministry of Health for a change of the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses with taking into account of the expertness and demands of work. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives criticize these steps. In the case of required changes in the area of expertness of nurses they are asking the Slovak Medical Chamber to support firstly the change of competency of nurses and midwives, which would reflect their expertise in accordance with acquired qualification and specialization level of education.