J. A. Reiman Faculty Hospital in Prešov. (source: TASR – František Iván)
After a delay of several weeks, the Health Ministry has published a list of remaining hospitals that will provide acute care from next year.
The first draft, which puts hospitals into five categories, is part of a healthcare reform approved by parliament in late 2021. The higher the category, the more specialised, as well as more medical procedures and treatments the hospital will deal with.
Because of a shortage of medical staff, the ministry believes the reform can help deliver better health care to people.
However, self-governing regions claim that in the first place the government should tackle the problem with the primary care network, which covers general practitioners.
Bratislava in Category 5
Out of 94 hospitals, more than 50 should continue serving as general hospitals, the Sme daily wrote.
University Hospital Bratislava, which comprises several healthcare facilities, will be the only Slovak medical facility in Category 5.
A hospital in Banská Bystrica and two hospitals in Košice will fall within Category 4, nine hospitals will be classified as Category 3, and 33 hospitals will take their place as Category 2, the Denník N daily wrote.
With these hospitals, health care insurance companies will be obliged to sign contracts, as they provide mandatory medical procedures and treatments listed by the state.
Forty-two hospitals should emerge under Category 1, according to the draft list.
Hospitals within the first category will not provide any mandatory treatments, and health insurers will be under no obligation to sign contracts with these facilities. They will serve as long-term care facilities as the population ages. They might also deal with some simple urgent medical problems.
Hospitals in Liptovský Mikuláš and Malacky are among them. While Malacky is a town situated close to Bratislava, which has the Category 5 hospital, Liptovský Mikuláš can be found next to Ružomberok, home to a military hospital. In addition, it is easy to reach Ružomberok or Poprad from Liptovský Mikuláš by highway.
The Denník N daily has published a map showing in which category Slovak hospitals should belong.
Final decision before summer
It is not clear what will happen to the 13 specialised hospitals. The ministry will decide on them in the first quarter of this year.
The ministry will also have to make a decision on Bory hospital in Bratislava, owned by the Penta group, which should open this March.
The Health Ministry should confirm the final list by June.
In addition to the categorisation of hospitals, part of the reform is the government saying how long patients can wait for planned procedures, like surgeries.
