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Tag: nurses
Private hospital in Lučenec is planning the mass reducing of staff. By the end of this year 50 nurses should lose their jobs. Reducing of staff was already reported also to the local Labour Office, although directly in the hospital the management allegedly does not talk about the reducing at all. Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family in Lučenec confirmed, that hospital announced the plan to dismiss 45 nurses and 5 midwives.
Nurses could imagine the solution of the situation, which has occurred regarding the act on their minimum wages, also by creation of new legislation measure. This proposal was presented by Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives on the meeting with Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. According to the President of the Chamber, Mária Lévyová, it could be a governmental or parliamentary proposal. Ministry is supposed to send nurses its written statement.
About 200 nurses, midwives and laboratory technicians protested near the Constitutional Court. As was stated by the President of Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, Mária Lévyová, they are calling on Constitutional Court to immediately decide on constitutionality of the act, which has increased their salaries. Constitutionality of the act was after initiative of the chamber of doctors attacked on Constitutional Court by the General Attorney and Constitutional Court stopped the force of the act, until it will not decide on this issue.
Budget does not count with higher salaries of nurses. Next year for their salaries will be necessary about € 135 million. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská told nurses that increasing of salaries is unreal. Nurses still believe that in fight for better financial condition they will be able to rely on the act, which guarantees their higher salaries. The act was stopped by the Constitutional Court in July. Nurses have been waiting for moths for its decision. They are, however, not preparing a sharp strike or coercive actions.
Term, when Constitutional Court will deal with the accordance of the act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives with the Constitution is not known yet. As was stated by the spokeswoman of the Constitutional Court, Anna Pačurová, the law does not define the term, in which the Court should decide. As she continued, the length of preparation for negotiation and decision in this case is individual and depends on the complexity of pleading.
Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives rejects that the lack of nurses and finances in health care should be solved by the change of education and strengthening of competencies of healthcare assistants. Efforts to transfer competencies from nurses to assistants Chamber considers as unallowable. Chamber this way reacted to the changes enforced by the Association of Medical High Schools in cooperation with Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education in the State Education Programme for professional education for high schools.
Nurses believe in fast and fair decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the law adjusting their wages. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives expects from it the stability of Slovak healthcare system, quality health care and social certainty for healthcare professionals. In reaction to the requirements of nurses the act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives was created and entered into force in April. Its effectiveness is, however, suspended by the July decision of Constitutional Court.
International Council of Nurses in the letter for President of Slovak Chamber of Nurses, Mária Lévyová, supported the calling of Chamber for fair solution of current situation in regard of nurses. Council has designated the situation with nurses as disastrous. It therefore called for constructive cooperation by the protection of health of people by ensuring of adequate number of nurses and midwives, who will provide the care for fair wage and by favourable conditions.
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.
Slovak Chamber of Medical-Technical Workers is asking for responsible dealing with wage claims of all healthcare professionals. President of the Chamber, Jana Strápková pointed out that healthcare system does not include only nurses and doctors, but also laboratory stuff, assistants, rescuers, radiology technics, sanitary stuff, physiotherapists and other workers. Without their work patients would not be diagnosed, would not have necessary examinations, histology and CT examinations made and would not receive pharmaceuticals and medical material.
