Today (Wednesday, November 30) is the last day when doctors from hospitals across Slovakia can withdraw their resignation notices filed as part of a labour dispute two months ago. Out of the 15 most badly affected hospitals – whose operation would be endangered by the resignations – only doctors in Košice withdrew their notices on Tuesday, the Sme daily wrote in its November 30 issue. If others do not join them on Wednesday, a state of emergency will be announced covering all large regional hospitals except for those in Košice and Nitra, and also some smaller district hospitals, mainly in northern Slovakia.
In these hospitals, the state can require doctors to report for work, even if they have not withdrawn their resignations; police have already warned doctors who intend to refuse to do so that they can be prosecuted. In Košice, about 140 doctors withdrew their resignations, while in Bratislava University Hospital 36 doctors changed their minds, but 459 remained determined to leave their jobs. In other hospitals, only a handful of doctors withdrew their resignations. About 1,600 resignation notices were still valid in hospitals throughout Slovakia on Tuesday.
Source: Sme
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
