Marian Kollár, the former head of the medical trade unions who led doctors’ protest last year, was elected chair of the Slovak Medical Chamber (SLK) with the support of 51 of 76 delegates attending the chamber’s congress in Žilina on June 3, replacing Milan Dragula, the SITA newswire reported.
“I want to assure everyone that defence and promotion of justifiable demands of the entire medical community is still my priority,” Kollár stated, as quoted by SITA. Kollár led doctors protesting for an increase in their salaries and other issues at the end of 2011 and negotiated an agreement with the Iveta Radičová government.
“I believe that by joining the forces with all bodies of the SLK, and maybe other organisations, we will contribute to not only talking about the problems in Slovakia’s health-care sector, but also to solve them,” Kollár said, as quoted by SITA.
The new chair of SLK also said that in the near future he would like to secure financial resources to increase the salaries for not only the doctors working in state-run hospitals but also for those working in private practices, adding that doctors are not satisfied with current situation in the health-care sector since “we are in situation which is not being solved”.
Kollár added that the chamber will ask the Health Ministry to amend the law on minimum salaries which authorises a gradual increase in nurses’ salaries of nurses so that salaries will also be based on the qualification of nurse and the difficulty of the job.
“On the other hand, we will also demand to make the legislative steps so the increase [in the salaries of] nurses will be financially covered and ensured,” Kollár stated, as quoted by SITA.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
