Tag: legislation

Government has approved the proposal of Act on National Health Information System (NHIS) made ​​by the Ministry of Health. As can be seen from the material, policyholders should get a health insurance card with an electronic chip until the end of 2015. Electronization of Health care should cost this year 1.2 million euros. Money should be used to cover the operator's license of eHealth, support of legislative team and operating costs for the NHIS. Operation of the NHIS will require addition € 3.9 million this year. In the next year it will be 9.3 million and in 2015 and 2016 it should be € 9.5 million.

Ministry of Health Zuzana Zvolenska said that they want to re-examine whether it is possible to somehow combine the issue of identity cards with an electronic chip and access to eHealth. ID cards could be merging with health insurance cards in the future. About this option should negotiate ministries of Health, Finance and Interior.

Permits for the operation of general hospitals are issued by self-governing regions yet. According to Amendment to Act on providers, this competence goes back to the Ministry of Health.

There will be no more direct access to specialists. Patients will have to visit GP for recommendation.

According to Amendment, the teaching hospital can be only one that is seat in the area of the faculty/college and also is included in the minimal public network of hospitals. In other words, the teaching hospital can only be a state hospital, expect the one - St. Elisabeth Cancer Institute in Bratislava.

Permits for emergency providers should be valid for longer time, as the Ministry of Health proposed the prolongation of validity of permits for operation of emergency medical service providers from 4 to 6 years. 

The amendment will also cancel the obligation of health insurance to contract any general practitioner who cares at least one of its insured.

The amendment should enter into force in April 2013.

The Ministry of Health wanted to enforce that the physicians, nurses and other health professionals had to start work during the state of emergency. According to the Act, the doctors and nurses could be threatening not only by a fine to € 3300, but also by the prison. If somebody avoids going to work, could be threatening by to two years in prison. If there will be severe damage to the health of the patient or patient will die, the penalty may be extended to five years.

The proposal did not like even the largest medical organization bringing together trade unionists in Europe - the European Federation of Salaried Doctors (FEMS).

The proposal was finally withdrawn. Amendment to Act on providers has a milder version, which allows introducing a two-three shift service after consultation with the union. Amendment should come into force from April 2013.

Ministry of Health has submitted a proposal of Act on National Health Information System. This creates a basic legal framework for Information. As can be seen from the material, policyholders should get a health insurance card with an electronic chip until the end of 2015. This would allow electronic identification of citizens. Proposal of Act in addition introduces concepts such as electronic medical history, patient summary and electronic health record. It also introduces electronic health professional card and electronic insurance card. It also creates the conditions for electronic prescriptions of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and dietary supplements. 

Price of pharmaceuticals in Slovakia will be not higher than the average of three lowest prices in the European Union. This principle is also related to medical devices and dietary supplements. This stems from an amendment to the Act on pharmaceuticals signed by President Ivan Gašparovič. Currently, the maximum price can not exceed the second lowest price in the European Union. Before that, prices were set by comparison of six lowest prices in Union. The aim of the amendment is introduction of more equitable method of pricing of pharmaceuticals considering prices of other Member States and exchange rate changes.

From next year will enter into force a new Decree of Ministry of Health on minimum staff, material and technical equipment of health facilities. According to it, in the service will no longer need to be three nurses, but only two, and one can be replaced by a paramedic - rescuer. This change is denied by Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives. Ministry of Health believes that paramedics are as trained as nurses to provide medical care. The chamber is concerned about it and asks, how can be three nurses replaced by two people without reducing staffing norm. However, Ministry argues that these workplaces can have more employees. 

Loyalty systems on prescription drugs in pharmacies will be cancelled from next year. However, amendment to the Act on pharmaceuticals, signed by President of the Slovak Republic, give pharmacists the opportunity to give up the part of their margin in the form of discounts up to 50% of the surcharge for drugs. According to amended, natural or legal person will receive permission for the provision of pharmaceutical care in only one public pharmacy and only for one division of public pharmacy. In practice, it means the elimination of network of pharmacies. The amendment will enter into force on January 2, 2013.

Selling "irrelevant and unimportant" state assets, which is for Slovakia virtually useless, will ensure the country more money than is necessary to expropriate two private health companies said for television TA3 Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). Fico thinks that the state should not be worry of extreme solutions like expropriation of health insurance companies. He noted that the possibility of such action is enshrined in the constitution in all EU member states. 

Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health this week founded the Company for unitarization. It should legally and economically assess the status of private insurance companies, which will be purchased or expropriated. It will also manage the liabilities of shareholders. CEO and Chairman of the Board is Martin Senčák, who is also head of the Office at Ministry of Health. The remaining board members are the Secretaries of Ministry of Health Peter Burian and Peter Pellegrini. Owners of private insurance companies still do not want to voluntarily leave the health insurance market. 

According to daily Hospodárske noviny, State paid only for lawyers in a dispute with the Achmea, Dutch owner of health insurance company Union, more than 13 million euros. Conversely, Dutch paid to lawyer for the ten million euros less and result is that state should pay around 25 million euros to Union health insurance company, including the court costs. Over generous spending on legal services are surprised as an international legal journal Global arbitration review, as well as some domestic experts. Law firm KŠD Šťovíček have been chosen by Ministry of Finance led by Ján Počiatek.