Archive of articles - September 2011, page 11
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Gas reservoir extended
GAS-STORAGE company Nafta has wrapped up the second, most important, phase of construction of a new gas storage facility near the villages of Láb and Gajary, in Bratislava Region. On September 6 it ceremonially launched a control centre for the new facility, on which €106 million has so far been spent.
Medical tourism in Slovakia?
PRICE, but particularly a good ratio between price and quality of medical treatment, is what speaks in favour of so-called medical tourism developing here – at least that is what Slovak doctors and representatives of medical and aesthetic facilities in Slovakia say. But this alone has not turned Slovakia into a popular destination for medical tourism, as most Slovak health-care facilities do not narrow their focus to only this particular market segment. Nevertheless, foreigners living in Slovakia or Slovaks returning from stays abroad tend to use the services of private medical and aesthetic centres.
Health Ministry and doctors butt heads
IN HIS attempt to heal ailing public hospitals burdened with large debts, Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik has been pushing the idea of transforming them into joint-stock companies. But the Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ) does not think the minister has the right prescription and has launched a protest campaign with four demands, including dumping the minister’s transformation idea.
e-Health in Slovakia?
e-Health – health care supported by electronic processes – is one of the ten priorities of the eEurope 2005 Action Plan, an initiative of the European Union to provide Internet access to European citizens and companies. e-Health’s aim is to create user-friendly and interoperable information systems for patients and health-care professionals in Europe. The basis of e-Health in Slovakia will be the National Health Information System – the system intended to provide services and information regarding health care. It is expected to be available in 2012. A common communication interface for persons and other information systems to access this system will be provided by the National Health Portal. It will offer information on medicinal products, medical equipment health-care providers, and it will also be the site that publishes information and warnings in the event of epidemics or other medically-relevant matters or threats. The first step of supporting health care through electronic processes is the introduction of the Electronic Health Record, which is slated for the beginning of 2013 and will include important information on an individual’s health and medical treatment.
Festival of humour combines music, visual art, mime and comedy
The annual Slovak festival of humour which marks the end of the summer vacations, resulted in several awards this year, as well as a lot of fun and entertainment for both children and adults. Golden Gander is the name given to the top prizes? awarded to the best representatives of humour of all genres at the Kremnické Gagy / Kremnica Gags event which celebrated its 31st year in 2011.
Nitra hosts scything competition
Scything grass and weeds by hand has had two somewhat contradictory developments recently – the traditionally hard work has mostly been replaced by various power mowers yet nevertheless the old, traditional method has seen something of a modern revival in Slovakia, with competitions in hand-scything becoming very popular, even among young people.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Slovakia is losing its medical graduates
THE STATE invests a huge amount of money into educating doctors, but hundreds of them leave Slovakia after graduation, drawn by higher earnings and better working conditions abroad.
Slovaks remain wary consumers
SLOVAKS have been rather cautious spenders in 2011, saving their money for the possibility of worse times ahead. Developments in the global economy and double-digit unemployment in their homeland have given them reason to hold their purses tight, according to market watchers.
Last Folio
To accompany the Last Folio exhibit in both New York and Bloomington, Indiana University Press published a book titled Last Folio: Textures of Jewish Life in Slovakia.
Insurers spent over €1bn on drugs
THE ANNUAL consumption of prescription drugs covered by Slovakia’s public health insurance scheme exceeded 94.4 million packages in 2010, a drop from 95.7 million packages in 2009, the Health Ministry informed the TASR newswire, citing its own statistics.
Quote of the week
“For me, it is a closed issue, and if it ever was somebody's issue, it wasn't this government's."
Choir festival returns to Trnava
TRNAVA is sometimes known as the Little Rome due to the many churches scattered around the city, but locals, especially those with a musical ear, also know it as the town with the highest concentration of choirs per square metre. The long tradition of choral music in Trnava had been maintained in part thanks to the autumn festival of choirs which, after a recent hiatus, re-emerged in a very new form at the end of this summer.
Two years of the Medissimo Hospital
The private Medissimo Hospital and Clinic has now entered its third year serving patients.
Elected officials asked to be more transparent
US PRESIDENT Barack Obama may be one of the most transparent politicians in Slovakia – at least symbolically so – after his personal financial profile was published in an online database created by the Politikaopen project, an initiative that encourages Slovak elected officials to disclose more details about their personal assets and sources of income than is currently required by Slovak law.
More transplants done in Slovakia
LAST year the number of organ transplant operations in Slovakia increased by six to 221. Liver transplants increased most, up by nine to 33. Transplantations of kidneys and hearts decreased moderately, to 167 and 21, respectively. The information was contained in a report on Slovakia’s efforts to meet its national transplantation programme for 2010, the SITA newswire reported.
Consensus on euro- bailout proves elusive
THE CAMPAIGN to get Slovak MPs to approve changes to the eurozone bailout mechanism is turning into yet another Sisyphean task for the government of Iveta Radičová.
Jobs for the lads and lasses
INFORMATION about secret societies, clandestine lists of privileged people, or documents with seven seals have always been part of politics. Some politicians have tried to prove their relevance by claiming to posses copies of such documents. Yet most things that are declared to be closely guarded secrets, turn out to be far from secret at all. And major revelations of such ‘secrets’ are often managed in such a way that the public ends up doubting whether the politician behind them is really making a sacrifice on the altar of transparency, or is in fact pursuing some personal agenda.
Images immortalise Jewish past in Slovakia
THE OPENING of Last Folio, an exhibit of Yuri Dojc’s pictures of what remains of once-vibrant Jewish communities throughout Slovakia, served as the centrepiece of a weekend devoted to life in Slovakia, past and present, held at the Bloomington campus of Indiana University (IU) in early September. Peter Burian, Slovak ambassador to the United States, represented the Slovak government at the event.
Even Noah would be proud of the Liptov Ark (video included)
Narrow is the way to heaven, the choirmaster of the Archa Locus (Ark Locus) church says. This small temple, surrounded by some of Slovakia’s best-known mountains, is a place of rest for pilgrims – but anyone, believer or non-believer, is welcome to stop by and regain their strength before continuing on their way through Liptov.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access More articles ›
