BRATISLAVA, December 17, (WEBNOVINY) – Leader of Christians Democrats Jan Figel pointed out the need to stabilize the Slovak health system in the program Saturday Dialogues on air of the RTVS. He remarked that problems in the sector could not be resolved at once as they had been neglected for twenty years. Availability and quality of medical services should be the goal, in his words. Increased salaries of doctors ensuing from the Memorandum amending the state of affairs in the health sector can be covered by finances saved thanks to the drug reform. Figel assured that the pay rise would not lead to cancellation of sickbeds.
SMER-SD leader Robert Fico expressed satisfaction that the Memorandum signed by medical trade unions and the government also brought about the halt of hospital transformation into joint-stock companies. Fico believes that the process would mean nothing else but privatization. The former prime minister reminded that not all coalition deputies agreed to the process. Figel countered that the Cabinet cannot make decisions for deputies. He is convinced that the topic has been politicized and perceives the halt of the process as a wrong move. He believes that stricter control would be introduced to hospitals after transformation.
The basic problem of the Slovak health sector is the fact the outgoing Cabinet has pumped less money into the system, Fico opines. Medical services are not goods tradable on markets but public services that need state’s intervention, the opposition leader thinks. He noted that Prime Minister Iveta Radicova should ask President Ivan Gasparovic to lift the authorization that installed Ivan Uhliarik to the helm of the Health Ministry. Figel supported the nominee of his party and complained that the previous government left behind huge debts in the sector. It grapples with a lack of funds because a lot of money is getting lost within the system.
SITA