IntoBalance 02/2008 (english)

Slovakia is at the end of the developed world within the frame of eHealth. Effort of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak republic aims to accelerate the development of eHealth so that first benefits for citizens, health care institutions and state will come in 2013. Statement of preparation analysis of the Program for the implementation of eHealth into practice is currently in proceedings. The government is committed to develop and complete the implementation of eHealth by meeting the needs of Slovak health care system and EU strategy.

According to daily Plus jeden deň from 6/10/2011 negotiating between doctors representatives and Minister Ivan Uhliarik ended up successfully for doctors. They managed to push three of four requirements – compliance with the Labour Code, an increase of salaries of doctors and improving of the sector financing. Minister, however, disagreed with the requirements of the trade unionists to stop the transformation of the hospitals into the joint-stock companies.

According to weekly Zdravotnícke noviny from 6/10/2011 the draft law on minimum wage for nurses and midwives should have been prepared at the end of the September, but it is still being discussed by the chamber and the Ministries of Health and Labour. Chamber calls for the remuneration taking into account the experience and education. Ministry of Health relies on the performance of work activities, not the education. The law should take effect in mid-2012.

Hospital Malacky is currently providing the radiodiagnostic department with the top magnetic resonance imaging equipment. The new device provides physician a higher image quality and faster time to investigate the patient. Thanks to the using of the modern Tim technology, which allows to connect multiple coils, with no further positioning of the patient gradually the wider range can be investigated. Patients will be able to use a new device from January 2012.

According to daily Hospodárske noviny from 7/10/2011 nurses are also considering notices. At the national meeting on Saturday they are about to decide what happens next. One possibility is the departure. Many nurses already work in joint-stock companies and receive only minimum wage. Chamber of nurses and midwives has been negotiating for three months with the Ministry of Health, which already promised some improvements.

Health insurance companies are monitoring the hospitals where physicians handed their notices Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP) began to establish the exact number of doctors who resigned in particular hospitals. Reason is to provide health care to patients. VšZP is interested in how many doctors are about to leave on 1. December 2011 from various hospital departments and also takes into account the exact number of attested and unattested doctors in these departments.

According to daily Pravda from 30/9/2011 the private equity group Penta, which has already invested in the health sector in the past, has declared its interest in investing in this sector again. Within a few months it should start to buy regional hospitals. Penta is allegedly discussing in all countries of V4. It will be important, however, if the system will support the transparence or the state redistribution.

The way of drug prescriptions in Slovakia will be changed. President has signed the new Act on Pharmaceuticals with effect from December 1st, 2011. Beside the prescribed drug, doctors will be required to initiate also the active substance, while the obligation of the pharmacist will be to expend the cheapest drug. Based on the clinical grounds, the doctor will be authorized to prohibit the expedition of the generic drug. This change will affect approximately 40% of the pharmaceuticals. Ministry of Health expects the annual savings of patients to be € 50 million annually.

In December 2011 comes into practice a regulation, which introduces a new price referencing of the pharmaceuticals. While until now the maximum price of the producer cannot achieve an average of 6 lowest prices in EU, newly it should not reach the level of the second lowest price. According to the Slovak association of pharmaceutical companies this regulation can motivate an action to increase the export of pharmaceuticals from Slovakia. Association, however, declares to do everything to make pharmaceuticals available.

Medical trade union continues in collecting of the notices. These are the conclusions of several hours of discussions between trade union and health minister Ivan Uhliarik. The main problem remains the transformation of hospitals into the joint-stock companies.