HPI.sk - Health Policy Institute

Healthcare professionals ask for higher payments

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Professional, trade union and corporative organizations in health care system increased their demands for additional financing from the state budget through higher payments for state policyholders (children, unemployed, elderly). While last month the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia and Slovak Medical Union of Specialists asked the payments on the level of at least 5% of the average wage, now all of the organizations are together asking the state for rising the payments to 5.5% next year (in 2012 the payment is 4%).

Doctors want to stop the law on nurses again

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Slovak Medical Chamber is trying again to stop the force of law, which from April mandatorily increases wages of nurses and midwives. Chamber therefore turned to the President of Parliamentary Health Comittee Richard Raši, who received more than 1 000 letters with the request of health care providers, members of Slovak Medical Chamber, for suspension of legal norm until it will be financially covered. Doctors are trying to stop the force of this law also through General Prosecutor's Office.

Office wants to register unvaccinated children

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Children, whose parents refuse their compulsory vaccination, will be registered by the Public Health Office. This results from the mandatory statement of the Office for Personal Data Protection. According to it, doctors from May 1st received the authorization to provide personal data of underage individuals, who have not had a vaccination, for the Public Health Office.

Zvolenská received only promises

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Minister of Health agreed with insurance companies that they will give money from € 50 million reserve in state budget in full amount to the hospitals and outpatient clinics, which need them to cover the higher wages of healthcare professionals. State, however, can not force private insurance companies Dôvera and Union to forward all apportioned money to health care providers. State has such a power only in case of state owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (General Health Insurance Company). Minister thus received from the association of insurance companies only the verbal promises. The written agreement in the form of common memorandum is being prepared.

Pharmaceuticals are about to get more expensive again

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Pharmaceutical companies warn that new redistribution of pharmaceuticals from July will bring higher additional surcharges for patients. They note that while insurance companies will pay less, the surcharges of the patient might in some cases increase by 600%. Ministry of Health was surprised by the reaction of pharmaceutical companies.

Latest methods of stem cell treatment presented in Slovakia

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 +0200

Newest methods of unique way of treatment using stem cells were introduced by the world and domestic experts on the prestigious international conference about the adult cell stems. Experts were invited to Bratislava by MEP Miroslav Mikolášik, who says that these cells are unique not only in research, but especially for their incredible potential for the treatment of further serious diseases. Umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord tissue, bone marrow and fat are sources of adult stem cells, to which the modern biomedical research predicts a huge therapeutic potential.

Most mistakes were done in hospital in Rimavská Sobota

Wed, 02 May 2012 09:00:00 +0200

Last year totally 1 391 complaints on health care provision were filled to the Healthcare Surveillance Authority and another 260 complaints had to be solved from the previous year. Less than one thousand complaints were related to the review of the good medical practice, but only 282 of them the Authority evaluated as justified. Most amercements, a total of five, were given by Authority to the general hospital in Rimavská Sobota.

Opposition: Program Manifesto is full of phrases

Wed, 02 May 2012 09:00:00 +0200

Program Manifesto of the government that emerged from the March early elections is in the healthcare chapter full of general phrases. According to the opposition members of Parliament it does not suggest anyt solutions to the problems of the sector. According to the member of Parliament, Viliam Novotný, whatever the Government does, it can be arranged so that it will look in accordance with the vague Manifesto. According to him, the Manifesto is missing any mention about the planned payments for diagnosis (DRG), information about regional hospitals, or commitment of higher payments for the state policyholders.

Zvolenská will negotiate with employers already this week

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:00 +0200

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská plans to start another round of negotiations with healthcare employers on the nurses' salary issue. At the negotiating table she should meet with the Association of Faculty Hospitals, Association of Hospitals in Slovakia, trade unionists and the representatives of private doctors. The exact date of the meeting is not known yet.

Zvolenská believes in willingness of providers

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0200

Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská expects that in next two months hospitals and outpatient clinics will act approachable by the fulfilling of the Act on minimum wage claims of nurses. Employers have now, according to her, different view on the situation. Minister agreed with insurance companies that money from € 50 million reserve in state budget will be fully used for the healthcare providers.

Fico promises strict control of hospitals

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0200

Robert Fico´s Government plans to implement strict control of hospital management. Government, however, does not want to continue with the transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies, intended by the previous Government. Fico's cabinet will allegedly not admit the privatization of economically lucrative activities of hospitals and will create the conditions for their financial stabilization. Government will not transform the university, faculty and public hospitals into joint-stock companies in the next 4 years. This way it wants to prevent their privatization and reducing of the quality of provided health care, as well as the threatening of the existence of hospitals.

Nurses will not enter into strike for now

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0200

Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives on the concilioum in Poprad did not adopt any severe measures in order to reach the fulfillment of statutory minimum wages of nurses. President of the Chamber believes that agreements and promises given by the Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská will be fulfilled. Nurses considered the tougher measures in case if the minimum wage claims of nurses would not be fulfilled.

Future of Trávnica sanatorium in the hands of MoH

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0200

Future of the Children's Sanatorium Trávnica for children with atopic eczema and dermo-respiratory syndrome was discussed on Thursday at the Ministry of Health. This instution is formaly integrated under the polyclinic in Šurany, which is allgedly struggling with the lack of money for salaries of nurses. The city of Šurany therefore speculates to close it. After meeting with Minister the director of hospital informed that Ministry has an ambition to solve this problem. They have, however, not found the final solution yet.

Higher payments for state policyholders are demanded

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:00:00 +0200

Association of Hospitals in Slovakia calls for increasing of the next year's payments for state policyholders to 5% of average wage. This would prevent the repeating of the current critical situation in healthcare system with the lack of financial cover for mandatorily increased salaries of nurses and doctors. Association also plans to request the Parliament to adjust both acts – on wage conditions of doctors and nurses, as they are non-systematic and not financially covered.

Hospitals in Žilina region are threatened by collapse

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:00:00 +0200

Hospitals in Dolný Kubín, Trstená, Čadca and Liptovský Mikuláš agreed that they are really threatened by bankruptcy. Hospitals of the Žilina region have minimum numbers of employees, the payments from insurance companies, however, are still not enough for salaries and mandatory contributions, in addition the pharmaceuticals and medical supplies are being purchased on debt. If they followed the law and increased the salaries of nurses in April, directors would have to close the hospitals.

Dôvera does not expect profit this year

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0200

Health insurance company Dôvera does not expect profit in 2012. Insurance company plans to use all the resources from health insurance on the health care, with the exception of the resources for its own operation. Despite this fact, increasing of payments for hospitals will not be enough to cover the costs of mandatorily increased salaries of nurses (from April) and doctors (second phase of increase from July). Dôvera will negotiate on the specific increasing with the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia in May, new condition should apply from June.

Nurses are also considering a strike

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:00:00 +0200

Salaries of nurses should be increased gradually until the end of the year, or from May they will be guaranteed only for nurses in state hospitals. This for now seems to be a solution of the problem with mandatorily increased wages of nurses and the fact that hospitals do not have money to cover them. Representatives of the Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives so far do not like any of these options. The definitive solution will be decided on Friday's Assembly of the Chamber.

Zvolenská will not let the reserve go so easily

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:00:00 +0200

Long promised quick measure, which should avert the collapse in healthcare system, seems to be useless for now. Minister of Health Zuzana Zvolenská still does not know how to transfer € 50 million from the state budget reserve into the healthcare system. There is an annual need of € 100 million for higher salaries of healthcare professionals. Until Zvolenská finds a solution, Ministry of Finance will not release the reserve money.

Former minister allowed the controversial export

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0200

Former Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik allowed the company Sanaplasma, despite the disagreement of the experts, the export of blood plasma abroad. According to the director of National Transfusion Service it is a dangerous precedent and if Sanaplasma takes our donor base, the sufficiency of blood reserves in Slovakia will be threatened. According to Uhliarik the private company fulfilled all necessary conditions, and thus he could not refuse its request. Ministry of Health, according to him, issued the permission in accordance with the law.

Nurses would probably succeed in the courts

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:00 +0200

If nurses will try through the courts to carve out their wage claims, they would probably succeed. This opinion was expressed by Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová. Amendments signed between nurses and employers are according to her forced and nurses would have no problem to prove it in court. And if the legal act is enforced, it is not made freely and seriously, generally the court declares this act as void. Failure to comply with the law only because of the lack of resources is according to Ombudswoman unacceptable and undermines the basic principles of democracy.