Archive of articles - October 2012, page 7
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Two Slovak films will fight for Oscars
USUALLY, only one Slovak movie is nominated for the prestigious US Academy Awards, known as the Oscars. This time round, however, a short film by Martin Snopek and Ivana Laučíková, Posledný autobus / The Last Bus, won Grand Prix at festivals of short films in Tampere (Finland) and Stuttgart (Germany) after garnering awards in Strasbourg and Maribor, and thus is being sent to compete at the Oscars for a highly coveted statuette.
Quote of the week
“I don’t want to leave Slovakia… I want to walk the dog along the Danube, I want to fish… Everything is so artificial in the European structures.”
When ‘decent’ is no longer decent
CONFORMING to standards of morality, good taste, but also fairness, goodwill and kindness are all expressions that dictionaries use to define the word ‘decent’. However, the organisers of recent anti-Roma rallies in Slovakia, which turned instantly into popular forums for extremists, are now attaching a new, rather scary meaning to the word ‘decent’ with slogans such as ‘together for a decent and safe life’ or ‘marching for the rights of decent people’. Many of these ‘decent’ people refuse to be labelled extremists or neo-Nazis when attending these ‘decent’ marches, yet they talk about ‘Roma parasites’, suggesting that they should be either deported somewhere out of sight where they will not bother ‘decent people’ or severely disciplined and given food and aid only if they are ‘decent’.
More people switch health insurers
IN SLOVAKIA, citizens can change their public health insurer once a year, with any change becoming effective as of the beginning of the following year. The deadline for switching health insurers is September 30. The Health-Care Supervisory Authority (ÚDZS) has registered 187,341 applications to switch insurers as of January 2013, the SITA newswire reported. Compared with 162,399 applications last year, of which the office accepted 157,331, this represented an increase of almost 25,000.
Alpha Medical labs for sale
THE CENTRAL European investment group Penta is selling Alpha Medical, a company providing medical laboratory services in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland, to Mid Europa Partners. The deal, whose value was not revealed, is still subject to approval by antitrust offices in individual countries, the SITA newswire informed.
The never-ending story of Rázsochy
MORE than 30 years ago a plan was developed to build a state-of-the-art hospital in Bratislava. But what started out as an ambitious project to serve patients from across Slovakia, and also house medical students, resulted in a huge but unfinished complex which was later left to rot and has been ravaged by scavengers seeking scrap metal and other materials. Rázsochy has now returned to the spotlight after the cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Fico declared in its four-year programme that it planned to complete the medical complex, finances allowing.
Report: Fico for EC President?
SLOVAKIA’S Prime Minister Robert Fico might run for the chair of the president of the European Commission. The Party of European Socialists (PES) is reportedly considering his nomination to replace current EC president José Manuel Barroso, whose term in office ends in 2014, the Hospodárske Noviny daily reported on October 18.
Finnish tango rocks Bratislava
ONE MAY not immediately associate Finland with tango, but this unique musical style has strong roots in this Nordic country. Slovaks were able to get a first taste of it on October 3, first in the small studio of the Slovak Radio building, and later at a milonga (a room or place for tango dancing) at the DanceArt Studio in the Vrakuňa borough of Bratislava.
Corpse show sparks controversy
IT TOOK more than 15 years for the show of preserved corpses to make it to Slovakia after having provoked much controversy around the world. The exhibition arrived in Bratislava this year for the first time, and has stirred the same discussion that has emerged elsewhere: human rights activists question the provenance of the bodies, while the Roman Catholic Church calls it an attack on human dignity.
Slovaks suffer from more rotten teeth
THE OCCURRENCE of serious dental disease in Slovakia has doubled. Experts believe that those with less money are struggling to pay for expensive dental treatment, while some who are better off do not have time to go to the dentist.
Poll shows SDKÚ below 5 percent
IF PARLIAMENTARY elections had taken place at the beginning of October, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) would have received only 4.8 percent of the vote. Such a result would exclude it from parliament, according to a poll conducted by the MVK agency on a sample of 1,133 respondents, the SITA newswire reported.
Health-care institutions in Slovakia
Ministry of Healthwww.health.gov.skMinister: Zuzana Zvolenská
Teachers prepare to strike again
UP TO 90 percent of nursery and primary schools, 70 percent of secondary schools and 30 percent of universities were affected by the teachers’ strike which took place on September 13. Teachers were seeking a 10-percent pay rise and increased spending on the education sector. With negotiations over these demands between trade unions and government having gone nowhere so far, teachers’ leaders are now considering another strike which, unlike the previous one, could last several days.
First eHealth services expected next year
ELECTRONIC health records, a national health portal, electronic prescription services and electronic appointment scheduling: electronic health care or simply eHealth promises all this and more. But Slovaks must wait several months before they can experience the new system and fully digest its advantages. After a bumpy start caused by changes in government, the Health Ministry and other involved organisations hope that the project is now on the fast track to implementation.
Law on waste to be fast-tracked
THE DRAFT amendment to the law on waste authored by the Environment Ministry will be discussed in parliament in a fast-tracked proceeding, MPs decided on October 16, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Democracy in Slovakia unchanged
THE QUALITY of democracy in Slovakia has remained unchanged so far this year, receiving the same grade in the third quarter as in the previous two quarters of 2012, with a mark of 2.8, according to the IVO Barometer survey conducted regularly by analysts at the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO).
Slovaks avoid buying drugs online
PEOPLE in Slovakia do not seem very interested in buying non-prescription drugs online, preferring brick-and-mortar outlets. This was one finding from a survey conducted among a sample of 2,000 respondents from Slovakia and the Czech Republic by polling agency GfK, the SITA newswire reported in early October.
Medicine legislation changes
THE PHARMACEUTICAL industry was again the focus of legislators on October 16, when the Slovak Parliament advanced several pharmaceutical-related bills to their second readings. Before becoming effective they need a final nod from parliament and presidential approval.
Hospital and polyclinic MEDISSIMO – Your health in our hands
What differentiates Medissimo from other medical facilities of a similar type? Medissimo is a unique project – it is a complex with a hospital and a polyclinic. We render our clients with not just the services of doctors in outpatient units, which you can commonly find in polyclinics, but also services within hospital care, the base and 24/7 care, including on Saturdays and Sundays. Thus, they have all health care under one roof, including diagnostics, treatment, surgeries, and post-operative care, potentially also with rehabilitation. Typically, we are oriented towards experts who have good-quality experience, have asserted themselves in their field and have already achieved success in it. We are on our way to becoming a top clinic where a patient can get a quality expert who has human understanding but can also professionally handle their health issue.
Chambers of medical professionals in Slovakia
Slovak Medical Chamber, www.lekom.skSlovak Chamber of Pharmacists, www.slek.sk Slovak Chamber of Dentists, www.skzl.sk Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, www.sksapa.sk
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- 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
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 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
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
