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Tag: patients
Supplementary charges of patients should until October according to the representatives of professional medical companies increase by € 51 million. This should be a result of the Decree of Ministry of Health, which has divided a number of pharmaceuticals in Slovak market into the payment groups, so called clusters. Doctors warn that patients will thus have to choose, whether to pay money or waste their health and reach for older, not modern treatment, which they have been using until now.
Patients complain that they cannot chose the specialists, which they want so free choice of doctor set by the law only works on the paper. Doctors argue that they cannot accept new clients due to health insurance companies. These each month commit a package of performances that will be covered. Therefore they are refusing patients and sending them to the outpatient clinics in the place of their residence. Health insurance companies defend their approach and say that specialists sometimes provide unnecessary examinations. Ministry of Health and health insurance companies also argue that free choice of doctor in Slovakia real exists. Therefore in the case of its violating Ministry recommends dissatisfied patient to complain.
Policyholders of private health insurance company Dôvera may in these days expect the overpayments from annual settlement of health insurance for the last year. Through the overpayments the insurance company is returning more than € 17.7 million. Until the end of August Dôvera has sent to its policyholders more than 124 000 annual settlements, result of which is an overpayment or underpayment.
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.
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.
Slovak Union of Sclerosis Multiplex has resigned from the petition launched in June this year. Patients with sclerosis multiplex required in this petition the change of indication restrictions of terminally ill patients and approving of the pharmaceutical for gait disturbance. Representatives of the Ministry, according to the President of the Union, Jarmila Fajnorová, on the meeting clarified the ambiguities and promised to help patients with problems with the treatment. Sclerosis Multiplex Union Nádej, which has initiated the launching of petition, however, continues in collecting of signatures.
Slovak Pharmaceutical Chamber welcomes the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals, which should prohibit the loyalty systems. After its approval also the networks of pharmacies should end. This legal standard should in the case of its approval in Government, Parliament and after the sign of the President enter into force on January 2, 2013. According to the Vice President of the Chamber, Ondrej Sukeľ, up to a quarter of patients are seeking for discounts and bonuses in the pharmacies. Discounts in pharmacies according to him, significantly affects especially pensioners.
Bardejov Spa is struggling with the decrease of visitors. In the first half of 2012 the curative procedures were undergone by 1 142 patients less than in 2011. The drop of visits might by according to the Spa caused by the change of the law. Payments of health insurance companies were decreased by some diagnosis. Some patients thus probably cannot afford the spa anymore. Bardejov Spa has partly compensated this decrease by attracting of self-paying visitors.
Doctors may from now on still prescribe on the prescriptions beside the active substance of the pharmaceutical also its concrete name. Ministry of Health have left this possibility in the proposal of the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals. Some experts think that it is wrong. According to them the patient and system would otherwise save more. Amendment is currently in public comments. But even any possible objections of professional public would not make Ministry to change the way of prescribing of pharmaceuticals.
Number of beds in institutional health care has been decreasing. At the same time the average treating time and number of days that patient stays in hospital have been decreasing. This information was provided by Peter Bubla from National Health Information Centre. While in 2009 the total number of beds was more than 35 520, in 2010 it was 35 132 and last year only 32 954 beds. Within three years the number of beds thus decreased by 2 566 beds.
