Thursday, 12. January 2012, 17:07

Doctors are fighting against the legislation which would allow Government to end up strike of healthcare professionals in case of threat of life and health. Slovak Medical Chamber is currently appealing to president Ivan Gašparovič and is asking him, according to his competence, to decide on rejecting of mandate of Government to submit this amendment. Doctors consider this amendment as revenge against all healthcare professionals after last year's mass-notice-protest of physicians. They also claim that the draft legislation is excessively interfering into the fundamental right of healthcare professionals to exercise their profession.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 17:01

Under the threat of termination of contracts are outpatient clinics in non-state hospitals asking for more money. While Minister of Health is looking for resources for salaries of doctors, requests from other healthcare professionals are increasing. The head of the Association of hospitals in Slovakia Marián Petko says for Hospodárske noviny daily (09/01/2012)  they want the same money as private doctors from the Association Zdravita will get. Biggest health insurance company, Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, will increase the payments for private doctors by 7%. Outpatient clinics in non-state hospitals want more money also for the operation of emergency posts.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:58

According to Slovak Television primetime news programme, smaller hospitals will need € 5 million in the first half of year to cover the increase of doctors' salaries. Hospitals, however, are allegedly already indebted and still do not know where to get these money. Health insurance companies did not change their contracts yet. Ministry of Health remains calm: it expects savings from pharmaceutical reform in amount of € 100 million annualy.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:51

Internet edition of daily Pravda (10/01/2012) evaluated promises of the Ministry of Health that patients will have less expensive pharmaceuticals. Number of pharmaceuticals that are cheaper from the New Year, however, increased only slightly. After last January̍s categorization out of 5 500 pharmaceuticals only cca 50 are cheaper. 32 of them are in the group without patient's co-payment, 18 are in the group of pharmaceuticals with co-payment from € 1 to 2.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:43

Spa treatment will become more expensive for diabetics and for people with high blood pressure as health insurance companies from December stopped the reimbursement of their accommodation and food in spa. This change was brought by amendment to the Act on the scope of healthcare. Mentioned diseases were shifted from group A to group B, in which patient pays him/herself for food and accommodation while the medical treatment is covered by health insurance company. According to the daily SME (10/1/2012) as a result of this change spas expect the decrease of clients.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:10

In the Eye clinic of L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice new tomography ophthalmology device worth € 63 000 was put into operation. Hospital received it as a gift from the company Novartis through the Union of Blind and Partially Sighted of Slovakia. New device should accelerate the detection of eye diseases caused by damage of retina and optic nerve as well as the treatment of these diseases.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:04

Association for Prevention of Hospital Infections devolved the Annual Prize for 2011 to the Hospital Zvolen. Hospital received the prize as an expression of the valuation of attained progress and effective efforts in the improving of situation. Hospital Zvolen allegedly attained first of all the improvement in the level of sanitary-epidemiological system, experienced the decrease of appearance of resistant strains on the departments and decrease of the consumption of antibiotics. It also reached the decrease of likelihood of patient colonization by microbes.

Thursday, 12. January 2012, 16:01

According to daily Sme from 12/1/2012 paediatricians claim that proposal of Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik will not solve the problem with mandatory vaccination. If the system will not change, there is a risk that doctors will not have vaccines even from February. According to the President of Association of GPs for Children and Adolescents Kvetoslava Prcúchová doctors are considering strike actions. Doctors stopped vaccinating and since December they are postponing the vaccination-appointments with patients. The reason is the legislative change which obliges them to purchase the vaccines in the pharmacy and subsequently store them. According to the doctors the change resulted in more administration and logistical and financial complications.

Saturday, 31. December 2011, 17:35

According to the internet edition of daily Pravda from 15/12/2011 doctors stopped to vaccinate the patients. They complain the way of reimbursement for vaccines has changed and health insurance companies should reimburse the vaccines directly to doctors. The law, however, does not allow doctors to buy vaccines from any member of the drug chain – that is from producer, the registration holder, distributor, or from the pharmacy. Doctors are also not entitled to collect the surcharges from patients and not all of the vaccines are fully covered by the insurance company. Ministry of Health recommended doctors to purchase vaccines from health insurance company, which will order the vaccines and pay for them.

Saturday, 31. December 2011, 17:32

For now the Medical Trade Union will not call off the strike readiness declared because of the dissatisfaction with the fulfilment of Memorandum. Approved law did not yet enter into force, so doctors want to wait. The head of the Union said that if President Ivan Gašparovič will sign the law and the law will be published in the Collection of Laws, strike readiness will end. The trade unionists  also repeatedly called for the resignation of Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik beacuse of responsibility for the recent development in health care system.