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Editorship Ecopress together with Zdravotnícke noviny (Healthcare newspaper), Slovak Medical Chamber and Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber organized the Slovak Healthcare Development Strategy 2012 – 2016 Conference. The Conference was attended by more than 230 leaders from health care – doctors, healthcare professionals, former as well as present ministers, members of Parliament, representatives of hospitals, outpatient clinics, insurance companies, Surveillance Authority, etc. Participants of the Conference have agreed first of all that the main problem of the health care is the lack of finances.
Hospitals with policyholders mainly from private insurance companies do not know how to get money for higher salaries of doctors. Private insurance companies, unlike the Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, did not increase the resources. The Association of Slovak Hospitals repeatedly asked the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance to release € 50 million from the reserve in the state budget. The Association will ask for opening of this year's state budget for additional financing.
Ministry of Health is currently not considering to use the €50 million reserved in the state budget for health care before the early parliamentary elections. According to the spokeswoman of the Ministry Katarína Zollerová it is not necessary in this moment. Medical trade unionists as well as smaller hospitals, however, already called few times to use the reserve for the increasing of salaries of healthcare professionals. Also General Health Insurance Company (Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa) asked for such additional funding.
Žilina self-governing region, four regional hospitals and trade unionists are together complaining about the discrimination at the hospitals bail-out and lower salaries compared to state hospitals. On Thursday, they jointly filed the complaint addressed to the International Labour Organization (ILO). ILO's documents about discrimination and therapeutic and preventive care were also signed by Slovak republic.
Minister of Finance does not want to give hospitals money from the state budget reserve to cover the increase of salaries of doctors and nurses approved by the Parliament. According to MoF Minister of Health declared that he will cover the increasing of salaries within his budget chapter. According to Ministry of Health, however, doctors will not see any money from state in January. MoH still relies on the fact that health insurance companies will save about € 100 million next year due the pharmaceutical reform and will redirect them to hospitals. Hospitals, however, do not know how to overcome this season.
The government of Robert Fico via its ministers of health Ivan Valentovič and Richard Raši established the trend of state health care. The result is financial loss in the amount of 382 mil. €, which should pay all citizens of Slovak republic, either in higher taxes or in higher deductions.
Since Slovakia’s SHI system provides a broad range of benefits and universal coverage, the role of other sources of funding is rather limited. However, all employers must offer an occupational health service for employees working in high-risk environments since 2008.
Private VHI is part of the commercial insurance system. So far, private VHI plays only a marginal role due to the broad benefit package and low official cost-sharing requirements. According to the National Bank of Slovakia, total VHI premiums are approximately €1 million (in 2009). Thus they account for only 0.02% of total health expenditure and 0.2% of overall non-life insurance premiums.