—
Tag: hospitals
Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa – VšZP (General Health Insurance Company) offered Association of Hospitals in Slovakia another increasing of payments. These payments should increase in the beginning of April this year and should help hospitals to cover the increasing of wages of nurses. Association should announce the final statement to the proposal until Thursday. General Health Insurance Company already increased the payments for hospitals in December last year and in February this year.
President of the Slovak Trade Union of the Health and Social Services claims that trade unions are expecting that public hospitals will from April implement the increasing of salaries of healthcare professionals, which resulted from the decision of the judge in the collective dispute. This way he reacted to the statement of the Association of Faculty Hospitals that it will defend against this decision on the Court. The action from the side of hospitals allegedly shocked trade unionists, which have not yet met with such a reaction in the collective bargaining.
Part of the debt of Hospitals and Clinics in Levice and Topoľčany will be paid by the Nitra self-governing region. The special-purpose loan in amount of € 940 000 should be used for covering of about the half of liabilities against the Slovak Gas Industry (Slovenský plynárenský priemysel). The delay in payment of previous loan in amount of € 400 000 should also help hospitals in their unfavourable financial situation. Self-governing region has provided financial resources to its hospitals several times in the past.
Faculty hospitals want to defend against this year’s increasing of salaries of healthcare professionals on the court. Increasing should be ensured by new collective contract with trade unionists. This year, salaries should increase twice by 5%. The final form of collective contract between hospitals associated in the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Slovak Medical and Social Trade Union and Medical Trade Union was set by the judge last week.
Increasing of salaries may threaten the operation of large public hospitals or institutions. If they do not get more money from health insurance companies, they will not have money for energies, pharmaceuticals or payments to the Social insurance company. Money from health insurance companies are their largest and often also the only one income. New collective agreement, moreover, orders faculty hospitals associated in the Association of Faculty Hospitals to increase the wages of all healthcare professionals by 5% in April and July.
New collective agreement signed by trade unionists requires hospitals to increase salaries of all healthcare professionals in public hospitals in two phases, from April and from July this year, by 5% of their basic salary. In the case of doctors, nurses and midwives this will be an increasing beyond the recently adopted laws. Association of Faculty Hospitals and Slovak Health Trade Union disagree with this decision.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia have made an agreement on the new contracts with health insurance company Dôvera. Their specific form will be developed on further negotiations between insurance company and particular hospitals. Members of Association will also comment on the proposal of the insurance company Union. Proposed increasing of payments, according to the Association, however, covers only the increasing of salaries of doctors from January 1st. Association will again negotiate with Dôvera on resources for higher salaries of nurses and second phase of increasing of salaries of doctors.
Smaller hospitals associated in the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia are afraid of the beginning of April, when they will have to increase the salaries of nurses and midwives. The head of the Association, which includes 54 hospitals, claims that the Association needs € 2.5 million for increasing of salaries of nurses. One hospital, according to him, needs only for increasing of wages on average almost € 48 000 monthly. From July hospitals will also again have to increase the salaries of doctors. Head of the Association claims that from May some hospitals will not be able to provide the health care.
Medical trade unions by the University hospital in Bratislava are launching the petition against the charging for parking places in front of the hospitals in Petržalka and Ružinov. They will also collect the signatures against the renting a space in hospital Kramáre to private company Dr. Magnet that provides the magnetic resonance there.
Banská Bystrica region and representatives of non-state hospitals in this territorial scope are appealing to health insurance companies and competent authorities for the speedy solution of their impending collapse due to the statutory increase of wages of doctors and nurses. Required solution involves the submission of amendments to the contracts with insurance companies. These should, proportionally according to the representation of insurance companies in particular regions, fully cover the increased costs of hospitals on the wages of doctors and nurses in the form of lump-sum payment.
