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Tag: legislation
34 hospitals and 3 medical institutions will be included into the terminal network of hospitals. Concept of terminal minimum network in Slovakia will be again renewed from October. It will include providers in the scope of Ministry of Health, which are of strategic importance for the state. Health insurance companies will have to make a contract with them. Proposal of the regulation on public minimum network was today approved by Government.
Cancelling of loyalty systems in pharmacies as well as the change of conditions for network pharmacies are according to Antimonopoly Office not justified enough. Newly it will not be possible to provide one person with the permit for providing of pharmaceutical care in more than one pharmacy. Office considers this as a significant intervention to the business environment, which will disable businessmen to grow. According to the Office the submitter also gave no reasons that led him to such a strict form of regulation.
From the next year the pharmaceutical companies should inform about which doctors they plan to meet, or which they have already met. Lists should be published on the website of Ministry of Health (MoH). Doctors and pharmaceutical companies do not like this proposal involved in the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals. Doctors are afraid that this measure will disturb the personal data protection. They also claim that amendment does not clearly define the aim, which the MoH wants to reach. Association of the Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Slovak Association of Pharmaceutical Companies also stated that such a collection and publishing of personal data represents an unauthorized intrusion into privacy.
By the overtimes and special exemption for healthcare professionals in the Labour Code the state is trying to disguise their lack in healthcare system. This is claimed by the trade union of doctors and nurses. Head of Medical Trade Union, Peter Visolajský, claims that the aim of increasing of hours might be the effort to disguise the lack of doctors in healthcare system. As he also stated, government is trying to disguise the lack of doctors also by increasing of maximum weekly working time.
Healthcare professionals should according to the new labour code work out of normal working hours up to 250 hours. Medical Trade Union does not like these changes. According to its President, Peter Visolajský, changes will endanger patients and doctors. Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Health, Zuzana Čižmáriková, however, claims that doctors are doing an unnecessary panic, as according to her 150 overtime hours will be set by the labour code and other 100 hours will depend on the agreement between doctor and employer.
According to the new labour code the employer will be able to ordain the healthcare professionals the overtime up to 250 hours per year. Minister of Labour underlines that the exemption will apply only to healthcare employees. Minister of Health has negotiated also with the President of the Trade Union of Health and Social Services, Anton Szalay, who absolutely supported this exemption. Overtime work for other employees remains at 150 hours per year. Amendment to the Labour Code should enter into force from January 1, 2013.
Network of pharmacies Dr. Max owned by investment group Penta is launching the petition for retaining of loyalty systems in pharmacies. This way it reacts to the effort of Ministry of Health to prohibit these discounts. Ministry has justified its proposal in the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals by the fact that loyalty systems have marketing character and weaken the professional and medical character of pharmaceutical activity.
Export of pharmaceuticals from Slovakia abroad will, according to the pharmaceutical companies, not be decreased even after the adjustments of pharmaceutical laws proposed by the Ministry of Health. Representatives of producers and suppliers of pharmaceuticals are even afraid that the act, which should put the re-export under control, will not be valid at all. The reason is its conflict with the EU legislation.
Chambers of healthcare professionals call for adoption of legislation changes, which would strengthen their competencies. They would welcome the compulsory membership or greater participation in matters related to the exercise of their profession. According to the Vice President of Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber, Ondrej Sukeľ, for each healthcare profession there should be the concrete professional legislation defined. He notes that the current law does not respect the differences of particular professions and does not bring any competences for Chambers, only the responsibilities.
According to the representatives of Slovak Chamber of Nurses the prolonging of external study in the Universities will not bring anything to nurses, it will only pull more money out of their pockets. For one year of a study of nursing they pay from € 700 to € 1 300, depending on university. Bachelor study should be prolonged by one year and master study by two years. This is proposed in the amendment to the academic act made by Minister of Education, Dušan Čaplovič.
