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If doctors take the memorandum submitted by Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, their salaries should be increased twice next year – since January and since April. As is clear from the memorandum, government committed itself to increase salaries for doctors from January to a minimum of 1,05 to 1,6 times the average wage in the national economy. From April the 1st their salaries should rise again, at least 1,17 to 1,73 times the average wage. The exact amount of salary for an individual doctor should be driven by the attained education and experiences. Adjusting of the salaries should be made through the Act on minimum wage of nurses and midwives. If this change fails, government will increase the salaries by the directive to the directors of public hospitals and the appeal to the other founders.
Patients are passing to the private hospitals and planned operations are being moved. According to the director of private institution Medissimo in Bratislava patients are more than ever consulting the services and the conditions of hospitalization, observes the daily SME. Medissimo does not provide acute care, only the planned operations. Increased interest in the childbirths and gynaecological operations was also registered in the private Sanatorium Koch in Bratislava. According to its director the greatest surge of patients is exactly in these days. Number of patients also increased in private hospital Šaca in Košice. Director of this hospital also made an agreement with the management of hospital in Košice that they will help in the case the doctors will not return.
Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik addressed his departmental colleagues abroad with the request of providing doctors in the case of emergency situation in Slovak hospitals. Whether this option will be used depends on current development with mass notices of doctors. How many doctors responded to the government̍s offer to increase salaries by an average of € 300 and signed the contract amendment, is not known yet. Minister, however, stressed, that despite the notices about 5 500 doctors should remain in the hospitals. At the end of last week there were about 2 000 notices of their colleagues registered.
The Government on its special meeting on Monday approved the declaration of emergency. It should involve the obligation to work to ensure the performance of health care and prohibition of the right to strike for certain employees. Emergency will, however, not cover whole territory of Slovakia, but only 15 health care providers – university hospitals in Bratislava and Košice, faculty hospitals in Trnava, Trenčín, Žilina, Prešov and Banská Bystrica, concerned will also be childrens̍ hospitals in Bratislava and Košice and hospital and clinic in Prievidza, Trstená, Dolný Kubín, Čadca and Liptovský Mikuláš. Emergency will be declared from Tuesday, November the 29th.
According to internet edition of Hungarian weekly Heti Világgazdaság (hvg.hu) Slovak doctors earn significantly more than their Hungarian colleagues. Weekly refers to the current survey on salaries from the Hungarian server fizetesek.hu, according to which Hungarian doctors earn on average € 693, what is a third less than Slovak. The survey analyzed the data from more than 4 000 healthcare employees from both countries. Hungarian media warn, that, like in Slovakia, Hungary is also threatened by the mass departure of doctors because of the dissatisfaction with the salaries. Hungarian Medical Association has launched an action, in which the notices of several thousands of healthcare employees may enter into force in January.
Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik presented a detailed plan how the emergency state will operate with regard to ensure the absent doctors in 15 hospitals, where the emergency is declared. Doctors will get the call-up decree from the District Office with the order to enter the service. Selection of doctors will be made by the directors of hospitals. Managements of hospitals, where the emergency state is not declared, will send list with names of doctors, who have to start the work, to the District Offfice. These doctors should ensure the operating of the hospitals during the crisis. Number of doctors receiving the call-up decree depends on how many doctors will accept the increasing of the salary by € 300 and withdraw the notice.
Increasing of the salaries by € 300 did not convince most of the doctors in hospitals. According to them it is just a formal modification, but in reality, the salaries would increase by only about half that amount. Doctors are concerned, that after the increasing of salaries hospitals will reduce all of the contributions, which are not guaranteed, such as bonuses for services or personal assessment. Their doubts were not dispelled even by the assurance of Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik that their management can not cut these contributions. Medical trade unions claim, that once the collective agreement expires, managements of hospitals will not agree with the increased contributions beyond the Labour Code.
Funds from health insurance companies will be directed to hospitals, in which doctors can take care of patients. According to spokeswoman of Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa if some hospitals will be unable to provide patient with the adequate care because of the physicians' protest, insurance company will transfer the funds to healthcare provider, which can ensure this treatment to the patient. Private health insurance company Dôvera has allegedly also enough money for both acute and planned health care, but everything depends on what will be the capacities of hospitals. Insurance company continuously discuss with hospitals and once the personal problems are resolved, Dôvera immediately approves another patient on the waiting lists.
According to internet edition of daily Pravda from 30/11/2011 in University hospital in Košice only 10 notices remained in force. According to spokeswomen of hospital several doctors have decided to terminate the employment and some are still in the length of notice, as they resigned later on. Hospital does not have to direct any doctor the work readiness in the frame of emergency state. After withdrawal of 228 notices of doctors the situation got finally stabilized. According to current development the prohibition of receiving of patients for planned hospitalization and performances was cancelled and operation of all clinics and departments is already ensured in a normal mode. Director of hospital thanked to all doctors for their attitude and for decision to stay in the hospital.
Even after almost nine hours of negotiation between representatives of Medical trade unions and Government they were not able to find the consensus. From today, hospitals will therefore miss 1 200 from total of 6 500 doctors. For some healthcare facilities this could mean a big deal or even a collapse. The most problematic are the hospitals in Bratislava and in Žilina region. Even though Government after its original proposal to increase the salaries by an average of € 300 increased its offer, Medical trade unions did not accept it. They insist on the original requirement and ask the additional increasing of salaries in 2013 to at least 1.5 – 3 times the average wage in national economic, which last year amounted to € 769.
