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Tag: nurses
In order to their salaries, nurses want to appeal on international courts and doctors want to close their clinics. Political party Smer does not enter into this dispute and refuses to declare, whether it is on the side of Slovak Medical Chamber, which wants to stop the increasing of nurses' salaries, or insists on respecting of the law, which Smer supported in the parliament. Smer wants to supply its statement after creating of new government, thus after April 4th. Act on increasing of wages of nurses should, however, enter into force on April 1st.
President of Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, Mária Lévyová, claims that Slovak Medical Chamber has gone too far with its activities considering the law on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives. This way she responded to the initiative of the Slovak Medical Chamber to appeal to the General Attorney. According to her, the procedure of Slovak Medical Chamber has no justification and it is more about an ethical dilemma.
Nurses working in outpatient clinics have probably celebrated their higher salaries prematurely. Although Parliament approved the law, under which their salaries should increase from April this year, doctors are planning to circumvent it. They are trying to negotiate with nurses the reduction of the working hours only to hours of attendance. Several doctors are creating one business company and together employing fewer nurses. The reality is also the dismissals of older nurses and employing those with shorter practice.
Association of Private Doctors (AoPD) agrees with the administrative action of Slovak Medical Chamber to the General Attorney regarding the higher salaries of nurses. As results from the statement of outpatient doctors, Association from the beginning presented the opinion that by approving the law there is a threat of extinction of at least third of outpatient sector. Chamber is trying to avoid the efficiency of the law on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives, which should ensure them higher wages from April.
The result of the negotiation between representatives of nurses, providers of social services and the Minister of Labour is that qualified nurses in the nursing homes can not suffer for the changes in laws and incorrectly set legislation. The negotiation resulted also in the joint call on the providers of social services that they should not reclassify nurses to worse salaried jobs of nursing sisters. Minister of Labour has allegedly repeatedly sent a letter to the Minister of Health with the requirement of ensuring the acceleration of work on necessary legislation.
Doctors continue their protest against the increasing of wages of nurses and want to suspend the force of the Act on their wages. Slovak Medical Chamber is asking the General Prosecutor to bring the proceedings to the Constitutional Court of Slovak Republic. Court should, according to Chamber, decide that the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses and midwives is inconsistent with the Constitution and also suspend its efficiency.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee Viliam Novotný believes that money needed for covering the minimum wage claims of nurses are available. As an example he cited the reserve in state budget in amount of € 50 million, savings due to approved acts on pharmaceuticals, increased collection of premium from economically active policyholders or savings on inefficient prescribing. In his opinion it is firstly necessary to look for the internal savings in the health care and afterwards, if necessary, use the existing reserve in amount of € 50 million.
Nurses are due to the new act on minimum wage claims, approved by Parliament in the beginning of February, under big pressure. According to the president of Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives Mária Lévyová currently is being doubt not only the Act, but also the activities of the Chamber. Nurses are according to her discouraged and their superiors threaten them with dismissals. President of the Chamber would, instead of degradation of nurses, welcome the constructive negotiations between providers and health insurance companies.
Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives appealed on the nursing sisters in nursing homes, in the case if their employers do not increase their wages from April, to stop providing the nursing care. Chamber is concerned that employer can do so, because these nursing sisters according to the law definition do not provide the health care, but only ensure it. Chamber also advises these sisters to start only ensuring the health care. It means that they would only call the doctor or emergency service, or send the client of the nursing home to hospital.
Twenty German hospitals will come to introduce themselves to Slovak doctors on the Job Days of Medicine and Health Slovakia fair, which will take place in Bratislava in March 2012. Hospitals want to offer Slovak doctors, nurses and other health professionals the total of 450 work positions. Slovak doctors, who already work in Germany, will also participate on the job fair and will answer the questions of participants.
