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Tag: salary
No relieving of debts of four hospitals in the scope of Žilina self-governmental region according to the President of the region, Juraj Blanár, causes further discrimination in the area of wage conditions of healthcare professionals. According to him the differences in salaries were caused by the legislation made in the times of former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik. He stressed that Žilina region has been long-termly adverting the differences in salaries of doctors and nurses in hospitals in the scope of region and state-owned hospitals.
According to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, the common act for all healthcare professionals solving their salaries does not mean, that Ministry will touch the contested wages of doctors and nurses. This way he reacted to the concerns of doctors, that the protests from last year will be repeated. As he added, he accepts that currently hospitals have a problem with paying higher wages, but Ministry according to him will not risk any further protests.
Situation, which occurred after application of the acts on increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses into the practice, is according to the President of Parliamentary Health Committee, Richard Raši, serious, even more serious, than it was originally anticipated. The financial resources, which were declared by former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik as available on the accounts of insurance companies, are not there. As he added, the only resource, which is able to be used is the € 50 million reserve, which is in state budget for solving of crisis situations.
Association of Hospitals in Slovakia considers to attact the constitutionality of the Act, which ensures increasing of their salaries. In case that Association would implement its intention, the proceeding of Slovak Medical Chamber against nurses will be repeated. Slovak Medical Chamber in March filed an action to the General Attorney with the aim to stop the force of law on minimum wages of nurses. President of the Association, Marián Petko, sees no basic difference between both acts. Members of the Association will decide on their Council meeting, whether they will apply to the General Attorney or not.
Other healthcare professionals also want the same wage conditions as nurses. Act on nurses allegedly detracted from the variable component of the wage of other healthcare professionals, as the salaries of nurses were solved from their resources. Chamber of other healthcare professionals, however, does not plan any coercive actions or petitions. Representatives of the Chamber, which represents about 15 000 healthcare employees, today negotiated on their requirements with the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská. They have allegedly agreed on the creation of new act for other healthcare professionals.
Delegates of Slovak Medical Chamber approved the decree, by which they ask Parliament, Government and Ministry of Health for a change of the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses with taking into account of the expertness and demands of work. Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives criticize these steps. In the case of required changes in the area of expertness of nurses they are asking the Slovak Medical Chamber to support firstly the change of competency of nurses and midwives, which would reflect their expertise in accordance with acquired qualification and specialization level of education.
Medical trade unionists refuse the creation of common act, which would adjust the salaries of all healthcare employees including doctors and nurses. Opening of medical act trade unions considers as an attack to the social harmony achieved by signing of memorandum with Government at the end of last year. Trade unionists are in the case of opening of this act considering the repeating of their original requirements, which they gave up for maintaining of social harmony in Slovak Republic.
Hospitals are again mired in debts. About half year after releasing of their debts by state the turning in vicious cycle is repeating. They already owe only to Social Insurance Company more than € 36 million. If they do not pay or do not make an agreement on the timetable, their debts will be recovered by executor and hospitals will thus lose even more money. This happed last year in hospital in Považská Bystrica. Employees, for who the hospitals do not pay the contributions, might bring the suit against them.
Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská sees this or next year no space for penetrative increasing of salaries of other healthcare professionals, as it was in the case of doctors and nurses. Minister should meet their representatives at the beginning of June and she expects the requirements for enhancement of salaries from their side. Zvolenská pointed out, that „dramatic“ increasing of wages of these healthcare employees would mean the end of particular healthcare institutions.
Medical trade unionists want on the nearest departmental tripartite negotiation to open the question of preparation of the law, which would solve the remuneration of all health care employees. Slovak Medical Trade Union informed about this intention also the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská, who has participated on the negotiation of its executive committee. Trade unions allegedly ensured the head of department, that they are supporting the equitable remuneration of hospitals in the form of introduction of DRG system.
