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Way of purchasing of vaccines will be changed again. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská will probably comprise with the pressure of doctors and pharmacies, which do not agree with the changes made by her predecessor Ivan Uhliarik. Based on the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals from December last year doctors have to purchase vaccines by themselves and store them in their outpatient clinics. Minister has already negotiated on the change of current situation with representatives of all parties. According to her spokeswoman, Zuzana Čižmáriková, she is ready to solve the tense situation.

Police investigator declined complaints on representatives of Medical Trade Union for extortion and other crimes, which should have beed comitted in the event of collective dismissals of doctors. Complaints were submitted by about 20 people late last year and at the beginning of this year. Besides extortions the complaints considered also for example allegations of heavy coercion, terorism, sabotage, breaching of the duties by the dire distress or imposing against Slovak Republic. Investigator declined them by one order in February.

Private health insurance company Dôvera considers as unrealistic to introduce new way of reallocation of premium, so called PCG, into the practise as fast, as is proposed in the amendment to the act on health insurance. Money from new reallocation should according to Dôvera come to insurance companies in October. Dôvera pointed out, that given by the experiences from abroad it is unrealistic to handle correct and in time introduction of PCG into practise in Slovakia in one month. Efforts to immediate obtaining of resources in health care department should according to Dôvera not go at the expense of quality of forthcoming legislation.

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská wants to give the health care system a vision for at least 10 years. Conception should be formed by separate body – advisory board of Minister, the status of which she wants to introduce in summer. Minister would only be invited. According to the Minister Slovakia has big problems in education, fails to attract the segment of primary care and is also missing the health care professionals. These are the problems, which should be concerned by the advisory board. Working groups should work regardless of what the political direction of the country would be.

Spas in Slovakia belong according to the Association of Slovak Spas in European context to the best ones. In recent years the accomodation or food services were improved. According to the President of the Association in our spas still mantains the good-quality medical services, which are absolutely comparable with similar spa institutions in Germany, Austria or Czech Republic. In spas, however, according to her continues the decreasing of clients from the slovak health insurance companies because of the impossibility of policyholders to financly contribute to the payment for spa treatment.

Slovak Medical Chamber launches free educational portal for doctors, i-med.sk. Doctors will find there hundreds of lectures and articles from all areas of medicine, recordings from conferences or videos from operations. Chamber obtained for the creation of portal almost € 1 750 000 from European Social Fund, it used about half of it so far. According to the President of the Chamber, Milan Dragula, it will be the biggest e-learning portal in Slovakia.

Health insurance companies will pay hospitals according to the new payment mechanism, DRG system, not sooner than in 2014. From January next year only the reporting and collection of data in hospital will be launched. Currently many of this data are still not available. For this reason the DRG system will be launched from January 1st, 2013 on the level of consistent data collection, which are necessary for the DRG system and which are today not recognized by the system. Payments according to new system may start at the earliest in 2014. 

University Hospital in Martin will expand and reconstruct its Clinic for children and adolescents. Reconstruction in amount of € 246 000 will be financed from the EU funds. Company EURO-BUILDING got the contract after public tender among five candidates thanks to the lowest price. Reconstruction will also include the extension of intership rooms and expansion of possibilities of accomodation for mothers who accompany the pediatric patients. At the same time the children pavilion will be completed and intensive care unit will be renovated. 

Health insurance companies last year paid the part or most of the costs related to the spa treatment to about 60 000 patients. Private insurance companies Dôvera and Union say that number of their policyholders treated in spa is increasing. General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) last year recorded a little less such policyholders than it was in 2010, increased was only the number of children. In 2011 the policyholders of General Health Insurance Company was treated in 27 nature spa and 2 sanatoriums. Union has concluded the contracts with 26 spa institutions, Dôvera with all spa facilities operating in Slovakia. 

Former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik last year claimed that prescribing of cheaper pharmaceuticals will bring the savings in amount of € 350 million. These should have, together with higher premium collection from people, ensured enough money for higher salaries of health care professionals. Ministry of Health under the leadership of Zuzana Zvolenská, however, after half year of functioning of new legislation called the Uhliarik's numbers as unreal.