IntoBalance 02/2008 (english)

Slovakia is a parliamentary democracy with separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers. According to the 2008 Freedom House report, Slovakia is a free country (listed in the “free” category). The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Slovakia in 2008 as a flawed democracy. Transparency International has been critical of Slovakia in terms of insufficient government efforts to deal with corruption.

Slovakia lacks a long-term strategic planning policy. The state, through its regulatory competences, has influence over health care purchasing, but the information necessary for effective regulation of capacities and allocation of resources is neither collected nor evaluated.

Since 2008, all employers must offer an occupational health service for employees working in high-risk environments. An occupational health service is a professional counselling service for employers in occupational health protection.

Slovakia lacks a clear health information policy and, as a  consequence, good quality information. The e-health project is mainly focused on the technical structure rather than content and functionality from the point of view of health policy decision-makers. As a result of selective contracting and their purchasing role, health insurance companies play a key role in the planning process.

Compared to other countries, the number of physicians and nurses per capita was similar to those of the EU15 until 2001. After 2001, Slovakia witnessed a continuous fall in the number of physicians and nurses in relation to the population, although their numbers remain above the EU12 average. These changes are closely linked with the migration of doctors and nurses abroad and the restructuring of health care facilities. National data show that, since 2006, the health workforce has started to increase again. Yet the ageing workforce combined with migration of health care workers may reinforce the shortage of health care workers. Although exact data on migration are lacking, this is considered common knowledge.