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According to daily Pravda from 20/01/2012 the healthcare professionals in indebted state hospitals earn on average € 250 more than healthcare professionals e.g. in non-profit organizations. According to the Vice President of the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia this discrimination in salaries, depending on where healthcare professionals work, is caused by large differences in payments for the same services for different institutions. Next reason of discrimination in salaries of doctors and nurses is the disunited methodology of calculating of salaries

Association of Municipalities in Vranov region raised € 12 200 in public collection for the hospital in Vranov. Proceeds from the collection will be used for the purchase of a new mammograph. Charitable fundraising for the mammograph, both from particular self-governments and from inhabitants of Vranov region, lasted from October to December 2011. Hospital is currently considering the kind of new device that will be purchased.

According to internet edition of daily Hospodárske noviny from 12/01/2012 the representatives of patients with cancer of colon and rectum complained to the Ministry of Health. The reason: problem with providing modern cancer treatment in Liptovský Mikuláš hospital. Civic association Europacolon is asking the minister to respond to arisen situation. Association is also asking the ministry to deal with the solution of long-term situation of unavailability of targeted therapy, which allegedly resulted from the change of financing of anticancer pharmaceuticals in autumn 2010.

Žilina self-governing region, four regional hospitals and trade unionists are together complaining about the discrimination at the hospitals bail-out and lower salaries compared to state hospitals. On Thursday, they jointly filed the complaint addressed to the International Labour Organization (ILO). ILO's documents about discrimination and therapeutic and preventive care were also signed by Slovak republic.

According to Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik there is enough pharmaceuticals for patients with cancer in Slovakia. He reacted to the shortage of chemotherapeutic pharmaceuticals in hospital in Banská Bystrica, where on Wednesday instead of treatment patients were sent home. Minister wants the Healthcare Surveillance Authority to check the practice of both hospital and doctor, as he claims that according to available information the mistake was done by them. MoH knew about the shortage of pharmaceuticals already in December and should ensure their special import, but hospital in Banská Bystrica allegedly did not ask for it.

From April 2012 the health insurance companies should get less money for their operation from the public health insurance. Draft legislation by Ministry of Health reduces the limit of operation costs of health insurance companies. Ministry justifies this change with the  economical use of public finances and the need of sustainable healthcare financing. Ministry estimates that this measure could save € 18.4 million annually.

About € 4.7 million less will be directed to the segment of emergency medical services. According to Ministry of Health this should contribute to the more efficient use of public health insurance sources. Saved funds should be used also in hospitals, which will need more resources to cover the wage funds in the frame of increasing of salaries of doctors. New price regulation should enter into force in February. 

Doctors will have higher salaries under the Act valid from the beginning of new year and the Act on minimum wages of nurses and midwives is currently in Parliament. Slovak Trade Union for Healthcare and Social Services, however, wants to defend also the interests of other employees in hospitals. Chairman of the Union asked Minister of Health to convene the tripartite, where he wants to apply for adjustment of salaries for all categories of employees working in hospitals.

According to National Health Information Centre doctors are afraid of implementation of eHealth into the practise and of transferring of documentation into the computers. Doctors allegedly do not believe that this change will simplify their work with the documentation about patient. They will be, however, able to use their current systems, which are already installed in their computers and these will be integrated into the National Health Information System. Another benefit of new system should be electronic signature, which will help to create electronic medical documentation. The system should also, inter alia, avoid the duplication of administrative steps.

According to legislation, wages of doctors will be adjusted twice in 2012, in January and in July. Doctors achieved higher salaries by the nationwide strike. The daily Sme (03/01/2012) reports that for example L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice will expend € 144 000 more on basic salaries of doctors from the new year. Increasing of basic wages will affect also the overtime payments and hospital emergency services. These will, according to the spokeswoman of hospital, represent further increase of costs by about € 55 700.