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News
State-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP) prefers the private companies to public hospitals, according to daily Pravda. This applies in the case of MRI (magnetic resonance imagination). University hospital in Košice has been providing two magnetic resonances for couple of years, but from January this year the VšZP has a contract also with a private company there. This one receives more generous payments from VšZP than the hospital. While the monthly payment for two university departments are in the amount of € 75 000, private company is receiving € 125 000. The situation is similar also in Bratislava.
According to the Vice President of Slovak Chamber of Dentists Igor Moravčík the increasing of salaries of nurses will affect also the dental clinics. Therefore they are asking for increasing of prices and financial limits from all three health insurance companies. Chamber is asking for modifying of contract conditions by increasing the capitation payments on average from 20 to 30%. Chamber and insurance companies agreed on further negotiations, as they did not make an agreement on the first one.
Employees of the providers of emergency medical services are launching threats, that they will not enter their jobs. The reason should be a new pricing measure of the Ministry of Health valid from February this year, which decreased the payments for ambulances. Representatives of ambulances also posted an open letter to Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, who, however, reportedly ignored it. Rescuers warn that on March 9th, i.e. the day before early elections, may happen that 2 500 rescuers will not enter their jobs.
Association of hospitals in Slovakia refused the proposal of insurance company Union for modifying the terms and conditions of their contracts from April this year. Both sides discussed the proposal on Wednesday. Main reason was, according to the hospitals, the insufficient covering of the costs for mandatory increased salaries of doctors from the beginning of the year. The Association reportedly submitted its own proposal and insurance company should send its opinion until March 6th.
Faculty hospital in Banská Bystrica opened a new medical treatment rooms and also the newly established department of robotic surgery. One room is reserved for robot-assisted operations, which hospital, with the help of Da Vinci technology, provides as the only one in Slovakia. Hospital started with robot-assisted operations in March last year. Robot arms are controlled by the surgeon with the control console and video system.
On Thursday, the Decree and Pricing measure of Ministry of Health will enter into force, under which doctors will be able to choose, whether they want to purchase the vaccines from pharmacy or from distributor. Pharmacies will thus loose a part of margin. According to spokeswoman of MoH the aim is that margin would be divided between two subjects – doctor and pharmacy. Doctors, however, are dissatisfied with the new measure and claim that not all of them will use this option. Vaccines are, according to them, expensive and doctors have to wait a long time for their reimbursement from the insurance companies.
City hospital in Zlaté Moravce should get a contribution in amount of € 274 000 from the municipality this year. As results from the program budget of the hospital, this amount will be paid in monthly installments of € 22 833. Contribution will serve for additional financing of the salaries in hospital, which are its largest cost item and together with social security contributions represent 66% of all costs.
Editorship Ecopress together with Zdravotnícke noviny (Healthcare newspaper), Slovak Medical Chamber and Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber organized the Slovak Healthcare Development Strategy 2012 – 2016 Conference. The Conference was attended by more than 230 leaders from health care – doctors, healthcare professionals, former as well as present ministers, members of Parliament, representatives of hospitals, outpatient clinics, insurance companies, Surveillance Authority, etc. Participants of the Conference have agreed first of all that the main problem of the health care is the lack of finances.
Ministry of Health (MoH) is dissatisfied with the proposal of anti-corruption measures and Code of Ethics submitted by the Medical Trade Union. According to Minister Ivan Uhliarik the Code of Ethic is silent on the relationship between doctors and patients. Furthermore, he said that the list of anti-corruption measures, for example, does not solve the corruption between doctor and pharmaceutical company or between doctor and patient. Ministry of Health will ask the non-governmental organizations Transparency International Slovakia and Alliance Fair Play to comment the materials.
Hospitals in Trstená and Liptovský Mikuláš have available new, more efficient CT scanners. These top diagnostic equipments reportedly improve the quality of examination and provide new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities. Computer tomography is used for radiological examination of the inside of human body and is important in diagnosing of various injuries and diseases. Modern multidetector computerized tomography reduces the radiation load of the patient and the amount of contrast medium in the body.
