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Tag: Ministry of Health
Controversial license for taking of the blood plasma, which was given to private company in conflict with the standards of European Union by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik, is being perceived by analysts and experts variously. While economists believe that opening of the market may increase the number of donors, healthcare experts warn that competition will cause the lack of plasma for slovak patients. Until now the state National Transfusion Service had a monopoly for taking of the plasma.
Head of the Ministry of Health Zuzana Zvolenská will monitor the use of the €50 million reserve which she plans to use for the salaries of nurses and doctors. She pronounced it after the negotiation with the representatives of healthcare employers. According to her the Ministry will verify, whether these resources are really used for fulfilling the law which sets the costs on salaries. As she further informed, any negative feedback from the field will be immediately solved by MoH on individual level.
Restrictions of the profit of health insurance companies might not bring any effect. Thanks to accounting operations the insurance companies may have shed millions of euros from collected premiums to their shareholders without breaking the law. Such step is to be found in the accounting of the private insurance company Dôvera. Company got the approval for this from the former management of the Healthcare Surveillance Authority.
Program Manifesto of the government that emerged from the March early elections is in the healthcare chapter full of general phrases. According to the opposition members of Parliament it does not suggest anyt solutions to the problems of the sector. According to the member of Parliament, Viliam Novotný, whatever the Government does, it can be arranged so that it will look in accordance with the vague Manifesto. According to him, the Manifesto is missing any mention about the planned payments for diagnosis (DRG), information about regional hospitals, or commitment of higher payments for the state policyholders.
Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská plans to start another round of negotiations with healthcare employers on the nurses' salary issue. At the negotiating table she should meet with the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, trade unionists and the representatives of private doctors. The exact date of the meeting is not known yet.
Minister of Health agreed with insurance companies that they will give money from € 50 million reserve in state budget in full amount to the hospitals and outpatient clinics, which need them to cover the higher wages of healthcare professionals. State, however, can not force private insurance companies Dôvera and Union to forward all apportioned money to health care providers. State has such a power only in case of state owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Minister thus received from the association of insurance companies only the verbal promises. The written agreement in the form of common memorandum is being prepared.
Robert Fico´s Government plans to implement strict control of hospital management. Government, however, does not want to continue with the transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies, intended by the previous Government. Fico's cabinet will allegedly not admit the privatization of economically lucrative activities of hospitals and will create the conditions for their financial stabilization. Government will not transform the university, faculty and public hospitals into joint-stock companies in the next 4 years. This way it wants to prevent their privatization and reducing of the quality of provided health care, as well as the threatening of the existence of hospitals.
Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská expects that in next two months hospitals and outpatient clinics will act approachable by the fulfilling of the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses. Employers have now, according to her, different view on the situation. Minister agreed with insurance companies that money from € 50 million reserve in state budget will be fully used for the healthcare providers.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia calls for increasing of the next year's payments for state policyholders to 5% of average wage. This would prevent the repeating of the current critical situation in healthcare system with the lack of financial cover for mandatorily increased salaries of nurses and doctors. Association also plans to request the Parliament to adjust both acts – on wage conditions of doctors and nurses, as they are non-systematic and not financially covered.
Future of the Children's Sanatorium Trávnica for children with atopic eczema and dermo-respiratory syndrome was discussed on Thursday at the Ministry of Health. This instution is formaly integrated under the polyclinic in Šurany, which is allgedly struggling with the lack of money for salaries of nurses. The city of Šurany therefore speculates to close it. After meeting with Minister the director of hospital informed that Ministry has an ambition to solve this problem. They have, however, not found the final solution yet.
