Archive of articles - November 2011
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Many protesting doctors do not come to work
DOCTORS in Slovak hospitals protesting against the state of the healthcare system have until midnight to withdraw their resignation notices. While the doctors’ unions are calling on them to remain united and not back down at the last moment, the Health Ministry reports that many of the doctors have already signed appendices to their contracts and withdrawn their resignations.
Many hospital doctors fail to report for last day at work
Many of the protesting hospital doctors throughout Slovakia who have not withdrawn resignations that are due to become effective tomorrow (Thursday, December 1) failed to report for work today. The TASR newswire wrote that they acted in a coordinated way, as part of the protest organised by the Association of Medical Unions (LOZ).
Situation in Košice hospital returns to normal
As of Wednesday, November 30, the situation at the University Hospital of Louis Pasteur (UNLP) in Košice was reported to have normalised vis-a-vis a protest action by doctors in which they were due to leave their positions as of tomorrow. UNLP spokesperson Jaroslava Oravcová said that 221 doctors had withdrawn their resignations, the SITA newswire reported.
Žiar nad Hronom razes illegal settlement with police assistance
The town of Žiar nad Hronom has removed an emerging illegal settlement in the town's Pod Šibeničným Vrchom district. Town employees assisted by town and national police used heavy machinery to remove three shanties housing almost ten ‘socially marginalised people’ including a preschool-aged child on Tuesday, November 29.
Slovakia's gross foreign debt in August soared by USD 1.7bn
Slovakia's gross foreign debt increased USD 1.749 billion in August 2011, taking it to USD 75.301 billion. Over the year to August, gross foreign debt increased by more than one quarter, or €15.178 billion, based on data from the National Bank of Slovakia released on Wednesday, November 30, and reported by the SITA newswire.
Parliament overrides presidential veto of law on judges
The Act on Judges and Judicial Assistants, as drafted by the Justice Ministry in October, will come into effect on January 1, 2012 after parliament overrode President Ivan Gašparovič's veto, with the original version of the amendment being backed by 76 MPs on Tuesday, November 29. Gašparovič had objected to several proposals in the legislation, the TASR newswire wrote.
Košice hospital doctors withdraw their resignations
Today (Wednesday, November 30) is the last day when doctors from hospitals across Slovakia can withdraw their resignation notices filed as part of a labour dispute two months ago. Out of the 15 most badly affected hospitals – whose operation would be endangered by the resignations – only doctors in Košice withdrew their notices on Tuesday, the Sme daily wrote in its November 30 issue. If others do not join them on Wednesday, a state of emergency will be announced covering all large regional hospitals except for those in Košice and Nitra, and also some smaller district hospitals, mainly in northern Slovakia.
Mikloš: Budget vote in parliament on Thursday at earliest
The budget is set to be debated in parliament at its session beginning today (November 30). "I assume that the vote won't take place earlier than Thursday," Mikloš said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. There have been rumours that Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) MP Anton Marcinčin isn't willing to support the budget. Mikloš said that he had discussed KDH support with party leader Ján Figeľ, who told him that he was unaware of any opposition within his party and that it still backs the budget.
SaS: Prime minister should dismiss Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik
It is Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik (a nominee of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH)) who is fully responsible for the current state of Slovak health care and Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ)) along with President Ivan Gašparovič should take action against him, SaS chairman Richard Sulík said at a press conference on Tuesday, November 29.
State of emergency declared for 15 hospitals
THE 15 most critical hospitals around Slovakia are working under a state of emergency as of November 29. The cabinet decided to declare the state of emergency for selected hospitals after the plan proposed by Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik, which was supposed to motivate doctors to withdraw their resignation notices and continue working beyond the expiration of their notice period on December 1, failed to have any impact.
Three helicopters join fight against forest fire near Poprad
Fire fighters are gradually succeeding in bringing a big forest fire under control above the village of Spišské Bystré in the Kozie Chrbty mountain range in northern Slovakia as three helicopters joined the fire fighting efforts on the morning of November 28, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovak diplomat named UN special envoy for Afghanistan
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Slovak diplomat Ján Kubiš his next special envoy for Afghanistan and the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on November 23, the SITA newswire wrote.
Economic sentiment indicator plunges by 0.5 points in November
The economic sentiment indicator in Slovakia worsened again in November, falling by 0.5 points in monthly terms to 89 points and the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) attributed the fall to a more pessimistic outlook by consumers and the trade sector. The sentiment of respondents in the monthly survey is four points lower than a year ago and the indicator is nine points behind its long-term average, the SITA newswire wrote based on the ŠÚ data.
Slovakia declares state of emergency at 15 state-run hospitals
At its extraordinary meeting on the evening of November 28, the cabinet of Iveta Radičová agreed to declare a state of emergency at fifteen state-run hospitals where an overwhelming majority of protesting hospital doctors rejected an offer of a €300 pay rise and refused to withdraw their resignation notices that take effect on December 1, the SITA newswire reported.
President Gašparovič announces PM Radičová will head Defence Ministry until March election
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) will head the Defence Ministry until a new government is formed after the March 10 general election, President Ivan Gašparovič announced on November 28, as reported by the TASR newswire. Radičová will consult Gašparovič on important issues at the ministry.
KDH supports citizens in village of Žehra who want to split from Roma-inhabited part
A petition signed by a number of people living in the village of Žehra (Košice Region) has been submitted to parliament to back a legislative initiative to allow municipalities to be divided, representatives of the Nová Žehra civic association said at a press conference where they were joined by MP Radoslav Procházka from the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), the TASR newswire wrote. The Nová Žehra civic association wants to separate the central part of Žehra from the Dreveník part that is primarily inhabited by Roma residents. Procházka and his KDH colleague Jana Žitňanská have prepared a legislative proposal that would allow municipalities to be divided.
Ordinary People party to slate activist Hlina, two journalists and ten students
Businessman Alojz Hlina, a Bratislava civic activist, will run in the March 2012 election among the top ten candidates on the slate of the Ordinary People’s party, the TASR newswire reported. "I view him [Hlina] as an honest, reliable man from Orava region and obviously I've tried to get to know him better during the past month. We want to give him, as a representative of civic activism, a worthy place on our slate," said Igor Matovič, the head of the party, as quoted by TASR. Other top place on the Ordinary People slate will purportedly be offered to university students who will be offered work as assistants to MPs if they do not make it to parliament.
Two weeks remain for Slovak political parties to submit election slates
Slovak political parties and coalitions have two weeks left to submit their slates for the early parliamentary election set for March 10, the TASR newswire wrote.
Cabinet directly asks doctors to withdraw resignations
THE DAY when around 2,000 hospital doctors may not show up to work is now only four days away, but even over the last weekend before the doctors’ resignations become effective on December 1 the cabinet and the Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ) were unable to resolve the entangled situation they have ended up in after many rounds of unsuccessful talks.
No agreement reached to avert resignations of Slovak doctors
Resignations of about 2,000 doctors, who are protesting against the current situation in Slovakia's health-care system, will become effective as of December 1. Even though both the doctors and the government claim they do not want patients to suffer and have an interest in reaching a timely agreement, negotiations over the last weekend before the doctors plan to resign from the hospitals brought no results, the Sme daily reported.
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