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Tag: nurses
Directors of nursing homes in Slovakia are shifting the nurses to the position of nursing sister. According to the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives they are this way trying to avoid the obligation to increase their wages. Nurses are reportedly forced to sign the reclassification under the threat of dismissals. From April the law on minimum wages of nurses will enter into force, which guarantees them a better salary. Nurses, however, reportedly even may not work in the nursing homes, as the Minister of Labour referred to them, because they are not nurses and they should suspend their registration in the Chamber.
President Ivan Gašparovič signed the law on minimum wages of nurses and midwives. Act will come into force on April 1st. This Act will increase the minimum wages of nurses and midwives to €640 (up to to € 928, depending on length of work experience). The law affects wages of all nurses and midwives, regardless of the type of employer. Increase of salaries will will cost €77 million in 2012.
Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives is asking the President Ivan Gašparovič to sign the law, which will increase their salaries from April. If President wouldn't sign the law, he contributed – according to the Chamber – to the degradation of the nurses and midwives. This appeal came in response to the statement of the Slovak Medical Union of Specialists, which appealed to President not to sign the increasing of salaries of nurses. The head of the Union argues that there are no resources for higher salaries and increasing of salaries can cause serious problems to the outpatient clinics.
Association of the Hospitals in Slovakia, which associates small non-state hospitals, is once again highlighting the lack of resources for higher wages of doctors and nurses. After yesterday’s negotiation with private health insurance companies Dôvera and Union, the Association informed that the slight increasing of funds, which have been offered by both insurance companies to the regional hospitals, will not be enough. Association therefore wants the Government to release € 50 million from the state treasury for the Ministry of Health.
Reportedly up to € 37 million may be missing this year to cover increased salaries of doctors and nurses. According to the estimates of health insurance companies, for the increased salaries of doctors and nurses about € 117 million will be needed. Health insurance companies are allegedly expecting that the changes in pharmaceutical policy will save around € 40 million and they will obtain another € 40 million from the higher premium collection.
Slovak Medical Chamber as well as the Association of Private Doctors warn against the collapse of outpatient care. Reportedly it may happen before this summer. The reason should be the increase of salaries of nurses. Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik, however, claims that covering of increased salaries of nurses in outpatient care is ensured from the increased payments from the state budget and from the pharmaceutical policy.
Government did not approve the proposal of Ministry of Health to cancel two tasks of the Ministry to fulfil the petition of nurses. MoH thereby still have a task to allow the nursing institutions, based of permits and licences, to become the health care providers. Also, MoH has to solve the possibility of reimbursement for provided nursing care in the nursing institutions from the public insurance.
According to the President of the Association of Private Doctors Ladislav Pázstor, about quarter of GPs for children, one fifth of GPs for for adults and part of pulmonary doctors may terminate their profession. The reason? The recently adopted Act on higher wages of nurses and the fact, that private doctors do not have sufficient resources from the payments of insurance companies. Considering the increase of costs, most at risk are allegedly the rural outpatient clinics. Ministry however claims that the cessation of clinics will not happen because Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa increased the payments for these clinics for the 1st quarter of 2012 by 7%.
Requirement of the nurses, according to which the nursing institutions should be allowed to obtain the permits and license to provide the health care, probably will not be met in the foreseeable future. Ministry of Health is proposing to cancel this task, as well as the possibility of payment for health care provided in the range of social services for the nursing institutions from the public insurance. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives insists on this requirement and considers as necessary to interconnect the health and social care in Slovakia.
Members of the Parliamentary Health Committee approved, despite the criticism of trade unionist, the Act on remuneration of nurses. On the next meeting of Parliament members of Parliament will decide on the act in the second reading. According to the President of the Association of Private Doctors, however, its approval may lead to the end of general outpatient care. He claims that outpatient clinics with one doctor and one nurse will have excessively high labour costs and there will remain no money for the operation of the clinics. Doctors allegedly do not doubt the demands of nurses, but they are asking the state to guarantee the increasing of their income.
