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Tag: hospitals
Debts of hospitals against Social Insurance Company for three months increased approximately by € 10 million. Most dramatically increased the outstanding commitments of University hospital in Bratislava. Hospital already did not pay Social Insurance Company € 9 million. Overall the debt of the largest hospitals stands at € 30 million. Like in other hospitals, also here the delegated director Miroslav Bdžoch wants to solve the situation by the reduction of number of employees.
General hospital with polyclinic in Levoča opened a new oncology outpatient clinic. Month-long reconstruction of older facilities direct within the hospital area, in the surgery building and on the department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care was worth more than € 30 000. Oncology outpatient clinic was until now placed in the building outside of the area. Capacity of the clinic after reconstruction increased from two to three beds for application of chemotherapy, what will accelerate and improve the treatment of patients.
Ministry of Health launched a recruitment process for directors' positions in hospitals – subsidized organizations and National Health Information Centre. Current directors are appointed to the office only temporarily, after the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská called out previous directors. Besides university and faculty hospitals the changes occurred also in the Institute of Nuclear and Molecular Medicine in Košice. For the positions of directors in specialized hospitals, which operate as joint-stock companies, Ministry launched the recruitment process in May.
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.
Situation, which occurred after application of the acts on increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses into the practice, is according to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, serious, even more serious, than it was originally anticipated. The financial resources, which were declared by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik as available on the accounts of insurance companies, are not there. As he added, the only resource, which is able to be used is the € 50 million reserve, which is in state budget for solving of crisis situations.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia considers to attact the constitutionality of the Act, which ensures increasing of their salaries. In case that Association would implement its intention, the proceeding of Slovak Medical Chamber against nurses will be repeated. Slovak Medical Chamber in March filed an action to the General Attorney with the aim to stop the force of law on minimum wages of nurses. President of the Association, Marián Petko, sees no basic difference between both acts. Members of the Association will decide on their Council meeting, whether they will apply to the General Attorney or not.
New directors of hospitals in Košice and Banská Bystrica already announced the steps, which they will take to improve the financial situation of their hospitals. They should involve also the dismissals or reduction of bonuses, which are set in the collective contract. Other funds managers want to save on pharmaceuticals and medical material and also by the more consistent planning of hospitalizations. Dismissals and reduction of bonuses is allegedly planned also in other hospitals, including the smaller general hospitals.
Hospitals are again mired in debts. About half year after releasing of their debts by state the turning in vicious cycle is repeating. They already owe only to Social Insurance Company more than € 36 million. If they do not pay or do not make an agreement on the timetable, their debts will be recovered by executor and hospitals will thus lose even more money. This happed last year in hospital in Považská Bystrica. Employees, for who the hospitals do not pay the contributions, might bring the suit against them.
Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská sees this or next year no space for penetrative increasing of salaries of other healthcare professionals, as it was in the case of doctors and nurses. Minister should meet their representatives at the beginning of June and she expects the requirements for enhancement of salaries from their side. Zvolenská pointed out, that „dramatic“ increasing of wages of these healthcare employees would mean the end of particular healthcare institutions.
Bratislava Regional Court in April dismissed the action of Association of Faculty Hospitals in the decision of arbitrator in collective dispute with trade unions, which talks about the increasing of salaries of healthcare professionals in state hospitals. Complaints of hospitals will thus be solved by the Supreme Court. First increasing should have taken place in April, the second one in June. It should be apply on 17 healthcare institutions. According to the arbitrator the requirements of trade unionists for increasing were legitimate.
