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Tag: emergency
Permissions for emergency ambulances should be valid for the longer time. Ministry of Health proposed the prolongation of the validity of the license for providing of emergency medical service ambulance from 4 to 6 years. Proposal of the amendment to the Act on health care providers also require submitting together with the application for issuing of the permission the document on personal ensuring for providing of the ambulance and the project of strategy and development of the medical emergency service.
Medical emergency professionals will probably have their own chamber. This is assumed in the proposal of the amendment to the act on healthcare providers, which has been submitted to the commentary proceeding by the Ministry of Health. According to the Ministry, the practice has shown that new adjustment for emergency professionals is necessary in order to fulfil the obligation of continuing education and its evaluation, as well as due to the diversity and complexity of actual performance of the profession.
Decreasing of pricing quotations for emergency ambulances caused financial problems to some providers. Decreasing of incomes caused decreasing of employees’ wages. An example is the Emergency medical service Bratislava, where in the first half of this year the personal bonuses were decreased. Decreasing of payments, according to the President of the Association of Emergency Medical Service, Ján Štes, affected all emergency providers. Their incomes have decreased in February due to the change of Decree enforced by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik.
Patients with acute otorhinolaryngology problems currently do not have a possibility to find a medical emergency in Trnava. Faculty hospital cancelled it from June due to the lack of doctors in this department. Adult patients, who need doctors out of office hours in hospital and policlinic, will have to travel 50 km to Bratislava, where the care is ensured in The Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) in the University hospital.
In several departmental organizations of the Ministry of Health after taking up of new Government number of well-paid positions were cancelled as redundant. According to the director of state emergency service in Bratislava in the times of former management were sequentially added 18 managers – non-health functions, which, however, according to him were not necessary. He informed that wage costs on these positions monthly constituted about € 33 000, what means almost € 400 000 per year.
In the Ministry of Health, as well as in several departmental organizations the contracts concluded in previous administration are being reviewed. Ministry still does not want to specify its findings, according to its spokeswoman Zuzana Čižmáriková they will be introduced on the press conference. Contracts are being reviewed also for example in the Operation Centre of Emergency Medical service in Slovakia and in state-owned emergency service in Bratislava.
In the Ministry of Health, as well as in several departmental organizations the contracts concluded in previous administration are being reviewed. Ministry still does not want to specify its findings, according to its spokeswoman Zuzana Čižmáriková they will be introduced on the press conference. Contracts are being reviewed also for example in the Operation Centre of Emergency Medical service in Slovakia and in state-owned emergency service in Bratislava.
Medical rescuers will communicate through the walkie-talkie and therefore they will not rely on the cellular networks. This resulted from the agreement signed between the Director of Operational Medical Emergency Service Centre and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Walkie-talkies should be installed to the ambulances of medical rescue service as well as to the Regional Operational Medical Emergency Service Centres in the forthcoming weeks. Rescuers should this way avoid the dropouts of the cellular networks.
Employees of the providers of emergency medical services are launching threats, that they will not enter their jobs. The reason should be a new pricing measure of the Ministry of Health valid from February this year, which decreased the payments for ambulances. Representatives of ambulances also posted an open letter to Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, who, however, reportedly ignored it. Rescuers warn that on March 9th, i.e. the day before early elections, may happen that 2 500 rescuers will not enter their jobs.
Ministry of Health is trying to redistribute six licences for operation of emergency service posts without a new tender. Since 2009 these stations have been operated by several providers, who won the licences in a tender. They consider the current steps of MoH as unlawful, as Ministry instead of tender only renewed the old one by requesting the original applicants in the tender. According to some providers of emergency ambulances this may prevent other possible applicants from obtaining the license.
