AS OF OCTOBER 1, Slovaks will pay Sk5 rather than the current Sk20 at pharmacies for receiving medical prescriptions.
The new government approved the change on September 20 in line with its earlier decision to cut or abolish fees in the health care system. The cabinet has already eliminated the Sk20 and Sk50 fees patients used to pay every time they visited the doctor or stayed in hospital, respectively.
Pharmacies currently keep Sk5 of the Sk20 fee they collect from patients, while Sk15 goes to health insurance companies. Under the new plan, the health insurers will get nothing.
The change will cost the health care sector an estimated Sk570 million per year, the SITA news agency wrote. The Health Ministry intends to cover the gap from the state budget.
