As many as 3,827 doctors from 51 hospitals in Slovakia have expressed their willingness to resign, the chairman of the Doctors Trade Union Association (LOZ), Marian Kollár, said on Tuesday, August 23, adding that the resignations would begin in two days. Doctors who have signed the LOZ declaration have expressed their desire to fight for better conditions in the Slovak health-care system and say they are ready to hand in their notice if their demands are not met.
LOZ listed what it says are the ten biggest problems in Slovak health care, including the drive to transform hospitals into joint-stock companies, low state contributions for policy holders, money-wasting in hospitals, a long-term shortfall in allocating money to health care, and violations of the Labour Code. The doctors are supported by the Slovak Medical Chamber.
"Doctors are intelligent enough to understand that joint-stock companies in health-care facilities can run the facility with a balanced budget. They don't go into debt and offer their employees higher average salaries," Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik said on Friday, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
