New VšZP head, Miroslav Vaďura (source: SITA)
The notice period of cancelation will expire on June 30, the Pravda daily wrote on April 16. The inspection showed that VšZP re-paid the private clinic for treatments like acupuncture or using lava stones, which were defined in a special code, which should not have been covered from public insurance. ÚDZS also claimed that the clinic did not explain why it increased prices for this special code.
VšZP CEO Miroslav Vaďura ordered a revision of all treatments of Klinika Kostka / Kostka Clinic owned by Pavel Kostka and operated by CPKSB, Ltd. Since then the special code was abolished, i.e. between November 1, 2015, and January 31, 2016. Vaďura also claimed that the measures taken by VšZP so far were not effective enough, thus the health insurer decided to terminate the contract with CPKSB, s.r.o. Miroslav Vaďura also actively approached the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) which asked for documents concerning the contracts to be checked and said he was ready to help clarify this case.
On February 2, 2016 the opposition party Sieť drew attention to extraordinary profits enjoyed by Dr. Pavel Kostka under Robert Fico’s government due to special VšZP payments. Kostka’s clinic specialises in massages and rehabilitation. In the meantime, Transparency International Slovensko watchdog discovered that Klinika Kostka also received money from the Prime Minister’s reserve and European funds. VšZP argued that the contract establishing a unique payment code for Klinika Kostka was already signed back in 2011 under former director Marian Faktor (a nominee of Christian-Democratic Movement-KDH), and that the deal was abrogated in 2015.
