BRATISLAVA, November 8, (WEBNOVINY) — Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik (KDH) says that the protest of discontent doctors who have filed resignation notices to have their four grave demands met is currently only about salaries. “The protest is really about salaries currently; I am prepared to negotiate but I do not see any reason why they have to misuse patients as hostages,” said the minister. He underscored a halt of the transformation of hospitals that is the main condition of the Medical Trade Unions that stand behind the protest has been already fulfilled, so they should now withdraw their notices. He also confirmed that he also agrees with the request regarding abiding by the Labor Code and also supports the requirement of more funds to be directed in health care.
However the pay rise for doctors of whom over 2,000 have tendered leave notices remains problematic. “I support higher salaries but adequately to the current situation in Slovakia,” said the minister. Trade unionists demand the basic salary of 1,250-1,400 euros but Uhliarik argues that with additional payments a doctor’s salary would climb to 2,000-2,400 euros. Such pay rise would cost the state EUR 200 million. “Trade unions have to be more realistic with their requirements,” said Uhliarik. These are simply unrealistic for the Slovak economy at the moment, underscored the minister.
Uhliarik restated that he respects the decision of the president and the prime minister on halting the transformation of the legal form of state-run hospitals to joint-stock companies. “The president, the prime minister and me guarantee that the transformation will not take place until the elections, there exists no bigger guarantee for trade unionists,” he said. However, it is not possible to guarantee the post-election development as a new government and a new parliament will make respective decisions. Answering the trade unions’ request that the transformation was not only stopped but also canceled he said that as according to doctors he does not have a mandate to go ahead with the transformation he neither has a mandate to stop it, he said.
Abandoning transformation is one of the demands of the over two thousand hospital doctors who have filed their notices at the end of September. It was also the intention of the opposition SMER-SD; its MP and former Health Minister Richard Rasi tried and failed doing so through an amending proposal to the revision of the law on pedagogic employees which he submitted at the October parliamentary session. However, SMER-SD ultimately succeeded with its initiative to convene a parliamentary session with a halt to hospitals‘ transformation on its agenda. Parliament Speaker Pavol Hrusovsky convened the special parliamentary session for this Friday.
SITA