—
Tag: physicians
From the next year the pharmaceutical companies should inform about which doctors they plan to meet, or which they have already met. Lists should be published on the website of Ministry of Health (MoH). Doctors and pharmaceutical companies do not like this proposal involved in the amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals. Doctors are afraid that this measure will disturb the personal data protection. They also claim that amendment does not clearly define the aim, which the MoH wants to reach. Association of the Suppliers of Pharmaceuticals and Slovak Association of Pharmaceutical Companies also stated that such a collection and publishing of personal data represents an unauthorized intrusion into privacy.
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.
Ministry of Health plans in the proposed amendment to the act on pharmaceuticals to order pharmaceutical companies to provide Ministry with the list of meetings with doctors. Ministry would afterward publish it on its website. Producers of generic pharmaceuticals do not like this measure, as it will according to them worsen the business environment. Legal standard should after approving by the Government, Parliament and after signing by the President enter into force on July 2, 2013.
Slovak Association of Pharmaceutical Companies Oriented to the Research and Development warns that valid acts as well as Code of Ethic of the Association expressly prohibit pharmaceutical companies to pay leisure and relaxing activities for doctors and healthcare professionals. This is set by current act on pharmaceuticals and medical devices and even proposed changes would not change it. Pharmaceutical companies want and suggest that the rules of the support of professional events should be transparent.
Total wage costs only on doctors in L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice in June this year amounted to approximately € 1.15 million. After July increasing the hospital will pay extra € 50 000. Hospital increased the salaries only to doctors who did not reach the lower level of wage set by the amendment to the act on healthcare providers. Hospital this way equalized the minimum basic wage of 332 doctors. According to the spokeswoman, the management of hospital is consistently seeking for the financial reserves.
Second increasing of wages was not applied to all doctors. Hospitals were adjusting the salaries only to those, who until now did not reach the minimum wage set by the law. In the case of unattested doctor it is € 923, the attested doctor should receive at least € 1 461. Such an increasing was gained in their last year's nationwide strike.
Paediatricians are angry at former Minister Ivan Uhliarik and are asking for bringing a suit against him. The reason is a change in purchasing of vaccines adopted by the Ministry of Health at the end of last year. This was stated by the head of Section of Paediatricians of Slovak Medical Chamber, Katarína Šimovičová. While previously the vaccines were issued by the pharmacy to nurse or doctor on the prescription for a particular patient, from December last year they have to be purchased by doctors themselves. Doctors claim they do not have money for it.
Doctors who are considering the start-up of private practice have in some specializations huge advantage according to lack of experts in some regions of Slovakia. This finding is based on the comparison of rules setting the necessary number of specialists with the reality. The biggest problems are in specializations such as radiation oncology, plastic surgery or drug dependence medicine. Insurance companies are allegedly recording no applications for conclusion of the contract in these specialisations.
Slovak Chamber of Medical-Technical Workers is asking for responsible dealing with wage claims of all healthcare professionals. President of the Chamber, Jana Strápková pointed out that healthcare system does not include only nurses and doctors, but also laboratory stuff, assistants, rescuers, radiology technics, sanitary stuff, physiotherapists and other workers. Without their work patients would not be diagnosed, would not have necessary examinations, histology and CT examinations made and would not receive pharmaceuticals and medical material.
Medical Trade Union is concerned about the statement of the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, which is considering the submission of the act on wages of doctors to General Prosecutor. According to the head of Trade Union this is the way how to disrupt the social peace, which was achieved by signing of memorandum between Medical Trade Union and Government at the end of last year. He pointed out that by this step the Association will assume responsibility for the situation that may arise.
