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Tag: physicians
Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik has allegedly the plan how to cover the higher salaries of doctors. By mid-January he should introduce the solution of financial problems of hospitals that have arisen due to the fact that since the beginning of next year they should give doctors the higher salaries. According to the head of Association of Hospitals of Slovakia Marián Petko Minister should announce the instructions after January the 15th.
According to the internet edition of daily Hospodárske noviny Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik does not have resources to increase the salaries by more than € 300, though he claims the opposite. Hospitals will allegedly save the resources, as from next year they start central procurement. According to former minister Richard Raši increasing of salaries is not covered: if it should happen by December 1st, it cannot be covered by savings from administering, which should start later on. The first step to increase the salaries should have been, according to Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, also the finances, that insurance company sent to hospitals. According to the President of Association of Hospitals of Slovakia, Marián Petko, money from public insurance company will not be enough, as for example Hospital in Bardejov would need approximately 10 times more.
According to the latest information doctors earn significantly more than is publicly declared. According to the analysis of the Institute for economic and social reforms it may be up to € 500 more. According to the Institute the revenues from insurance companies should be almost the only revenues of our doctors, but those, in fact, receive a part of revenues from patients, eventually from pharmaceutical companies or from the other sources. Those are, for instance, charges for privileged checkup, charges for checkup for administrative purposes such as confirmation for driving licence or for the college registration, charges for services above standard, but also some unofficial payments. These revenues may reportedly come up to € 500 monthly.
The critical situation in healthcare system because of doctors' protest most badly hit the capital city Bratislava. The worst development has taken place in the University hospital. Departments remained half-empty, doctors cancelled the operations and hotlines were mostly vacant. Situation was constantly changing and hospital was gradually lacking to about 350 doctors. The worst situation was allegedly on traumatology, orthopaedic and surgery departments. Management of hospital assured patients, that it can handle the situation, but representatives of doctors warned that the reality is much more critical. On Thursday afternoon it was necessary to transport four patients from University hospital to St. Michal's Hospital, which is not fully used and is able to help the University hospital if necessary.
Hospitals in Dolný Kubín, Čadca, Liptovský Mikuláš and Trstená will not do the planned operations since this Tuesday. From November 28th doctors will not operate even acute cases and next week hospitals will start to empty the departments and transport the patients to the hospitals in Martin and Ružomberok. The reason is that nearly half of doctors in four regional hospitals still insist on their notices. The most critical situation is in the Hospital in Dolný Kubín, where all doctors on surgery department, orthopaedic department, X-ray department and the department of anaesthesiology and intensive medicine resigned.
Management of Faculty Hospital in Trnava can not guarantee the return to positions of the doctors, who resigned under the protest. The hospital is currently preparing for the crisis option, if notices of 80 doctors will remain in force, reports daily Hospodárske noviny. In the frame of crisis plan hospital counts on the eventual engagement of new doctors to the threatened departments. According to director of the hospital the most serious situation is on the neurological department, where all doctors except the head physician resigned. Hospital counts on the help of extern doctors and there will always be one member of management with medical focus available. So far they do not plan to close the departments.
Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik refused the memorandum from representatives of Medical Trade Unions. According to this memorandum the salaries of doctors should rise by € 600 to 1 300. Minister insists on trade unionists to sign his proposal, which counts on the increasing of salaries gradually by € 300 next year. He considers it as a maximal and fair offer, which Slovakia can currently afford. Minister is ready to sign this Wednesday the memorandum prepared by the Ministry of Health. According to him, if trade unionists do not sign this proposal, President of Medical Trade Unions will be responsible for the impact on patients.
Even after several hours of negotiation doctors and minister of health did not come to agreement on the fulfilment of doctos' requirements. Minister, however, sees the consensus on several issues, such as additional financing of the system, stoppage of the transformation of hospitals or compliance with the Labour Code. The problem, he said, still remains the question of salaries. Medical Trade Unions has a problem for example with the fact that Ministry allegedly disagrees with the legislative guaranteeing their requirements. They also repeatedly declared that they continue to insist on all four requirements, as they, according to them, will contribute to the change of the system. Minister, however, believes that on negotiations on Wednesday they will come to agreement and the health care will not be threatened.
President of Slovak Medical Chamber Milan Dragula called on trade unionists and the Minister of Health to waive their requirements and not to hazard with the human lives. Commenting the fact that it will not be possible to provide even acute care, he said, that Ministry underestimated the notices of doctors. However, he also argues that Medical Trade Union should not have unreasonable requirements. The Chamber has developed its own proposal for solution of the situation in the healthcare system, which includes setting of the transformation or compliance with health laws. They sent the proposed measures to Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik and President Ivan Gašparovič.
Faculty Hospital in Trenčín will stop to accept new patients for the planned operations by the November the 23rd and will take only acute cases. According to Deputy Director of the hospital it will be necessary to release from departments by the end of the month those patients who can be released, so the departments will not stay full. Completely closed will allegedly be a Gynaecologic and Obstetric clinic, New-born department, Paediatric department, Neurology department, Pulmonary department and Rehabilitation department. Other departments will provide only acute care.
