Good evening. Here is the Monday, August 4 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes.
Questions mount over €2 billion ambulance tender
Health Minister Kamil Šaško (Hlas). (source: TASR)
In recent days, criticism has been mounting against Health Minister Kamil Šaško (Hlas) and a tender for ambulance services, which the opposition, a watchdog, and the doctors' union have described as lacking transparency. Over the weekend, even the coalition party SNS called on President Peter Pellegrini to cancel the tender entirely.
The tender concerns contracts to operate a total of 344 ground and 7 helicopter ambulance stations between 2025 and 2031. It is valued at €2 billion, making it the largest tender in the health sector announced by the current government. The amount exceeds the funds allocated for the construction of the new hospital in Bratislava and the military hospital in Prešov.
The main concern raised by the opposition and experts is the lack of transparency regarding the selection committee. For a long time, it was unclear who the committee members were, what qualifications they had for the role, and how their impartiality would be guaranteed. Furthermore, it remains uncertain when the tender will be evaluated and what measures will be taken should manipulation be discovered afterwards.
Well-founded concerns: When ambulance station contracts were last allocated in 2019, most members of the selection committee had connections to the eventual winner, Life Star Emergency (LSE), based in Limbach.
Both the ministry and the operations centre overseeing the tender maintain that they wish to protect committee members from “potential pressure” during the selection process. They have stated that the names will be made public after the selection process concludes. Experts and opposition parties have criticised this approach.
Who are the members: The daily Sme managed to obtain a list of committee members, which was confirmed by two independent sources. Some names have already raised concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest. The operations centre has neither confirmed nor denied the accuracy of the list.
As early as July, the name Jakub Horňák emerged. He is the deputy director of the operations centre. Previously, he worked as a regional manager at Tesco and holds a bachelor's degree from the Faculty of Education at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra. Prior to joining the operations centre, he had no experience in ambulance services. According to the daily, this alone makes him unqualified even for the position of deputy director. The centre did not respond when asked how his appointment came about. Horňák is reportedly the head of the committee.
Another committee member is said to be Matej Ovčiarka, who has personal ties to individuals in the management of Agel, a company openly expressing interest in winning the tender. Coincidentally, at the end of July, the news site Aktuality reported that Agel had already acquired over 80 ambulances worth €12 million, despite the fact that the tender is still ongoing.
Also on the committee is Michal Tuma, who until recently led the drug policy section at the Health Ministry and now works at the state health insurer, Všeobecná Zdravotná Poisťovňa. Henrich Bartovič represents the Fire and Rescue Service. The identity of the fifth member is unknown. According to Sme, Manuela Kačurová, head of the director's office at the operations centre, is serving as the committee’s secretary.
Mounting criticism: The Doctors' Trade Union Association (LOZ) has called on the Health Ministry to revise the committee’s composition, demanding that it include only experts without links to any of the tender participants and free from any suspicion of a conflict of interest. LOZ also appealed to President Pellegrini to support the replacement of the committee members and criticised the inclusion of both Horňák and Ovčiarka.
The opposition party Slovensko has been particularly vocal in its criticism, claiming that licences to operate the ambulance stations are being granted to pre-selected candidates. The party has also called for Minister Šaško to resign. Party MP Marek Krajčí stated that they possess a list of companies involved in the tender and claimed that even newly established companies without vehicles or personnel were able to participate.
Coalition partner SNS also criticised the tender, urging Pellegrini to cancel it. The president dismissed the request, describing it as yet another political manoeuvre aimed at gaining points by attacking the head of state—who, notably, does not have the authority to cancel tenders. The Hlas party stated that the demand was "completely detached from reality" and called on SNS to cease its baseless attacks on both the party and the president.
Promises, promises: According to Sme, applicants may be granted licences based solely on a sworn declaration. While applicants are required to have personnel, ambulances, and a project in place, it is reportedly sufficient to submit a statement, for example, asserting that medical staff will work for them if they win the tender. If the applicant does not currently own ambulances, they need only demonstrate they have the funds to purchase them.
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FEATURE STORY
Bringing life back
Sailing through the newly revitalised Foki side arm of the Danube. (source: Jana Liptáková)
For the past 11 months, the Bratislava Regional Conservation Association (BROZ) and other groups have been working on the newly-reconnected Foki sidearm of the Danube near Gabčíkovo, reversing and removing some of the human interventions over many years which had led to it being cut off from the Danube’s wider system of arms. The work has already begun to show visible results.
FILM SCREENING FOR WEDNESDAY
Catch a historical thriller drama
Outdoor cinema next to the Kuchajda lake in Bratislava. (source: TASR)
This Wednesday evening offers a great opportunity to catch a screening of the Czech/Slovak film Vlny (Waves). The Kino na Kuchajde will show it as part of its summer season at 21:00. The film, an atmospheric historical drama set during the Prague Spring and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, features an all-star Czech and Slovak cast including Slovak actors Táňa Pauhofová and Tomáš Maštalír. It has received rave reviews on local and international film sites. The screening itself will take place in front of the Lakeside Park building next to the lake (hop on the tram line 4). Admission is free.
If you cannot make it, the movie will be again screened on August 22 at the Rača amphitheatre and on August 30 at Cvernovka.
IN OTHER NEWS
Eight in ten Slovaks report higher monthly expenses compared to the previous year, with the most frequently cited increase falling between €100 and €200 per household. This is according to a survey conducted by the Ipsos agency on behalf of Home Credit Slovakia between June 2 and 5. Only around a quarter of respondents said they were earning more, while the majority reported no change in income since the beginning of 2024. Additionally, 52 percent perceive their current financial situation as worse than a year ago. Over 40 percent stated they had been forced to cut overall spending. While 47 percent reported a slight increase in expenses, 33 percent saw a significant rise, 16 percent said their expenses had remained unchanged, and only 3 percent reported spending less. The data show that 32 percent of respondents experienced a monthly increase of €100 to €200, 26 percent between €50 and €100, and 17 percent between €200 and €300. (TASR)
The European Commission has given a positive assessment of the intergovernmental agreement draft between Slovakia and the US on nuclear energy cooperation, according to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer), adding that the latter has already signed the draft agreement, and Slovakia will do the same. „This agreement will form the basis for signing of another intergovernmental agreement concerning the construction of a new nuclear power plant block in Jaslovské Bohunice — to be built by the American company Westinghouse,” Fico said. The new block will be state-owned.
PM Fico will visit China as part of his upcoming foreign trips. „The visit will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the World War II, and I would like to use the occasion to confirm joint economic projects,” the PM said in a video on Facebook. (TASR)
On Monday evening, a memorial concert by pianist Miloš Biháry was held at the Holocaust Museum in Sereď to honour the victims of the Roma genocide during the Holocaust. Approximately 1,000 Roma were killed in Slovakia in connection with the Holocaust. (source: TASR)
Energy prices in 2026 are expected to remain unchanged for about 90 percent of households, according to PM Fico who added he will submit a proposal to this end for gas and heating price compensations to the governing coalition. (TASR)
The number of electric cars in Slovakia continues to grow steadily, with 18,500 electric vehicles registered in the first half of 2025, according to the Slovak Association for Electromobility (SEVA). The market share of battery-powered vehicles in new car sales has remained above 3 percent throughout this year but surpassed 5 percent in June — a threshold many experts see as significant for accelerating the adoption of electromobility, according to ČSOB bank spokesperson Zuzana Fečová. While the number of electric cars increased by 53 percent year-on-year in 2024 compared to 2023, more than 3,000 new electric cars were registered in just the first six months of 2025. If this trend continues through the second half of the year, 2025 could become the strongest year yet for electric car growth and sales in Slovakia. (TASR)
As of August 1, passengers are no longer able to purchase train tickets at selected stations in the Nové Zámky and Komárno districts in southern Slovakia. The reason is declining ticket sales at the following stations: Palárikovo, Strekov, Gbelce, Mužla, Bajč, Pribeta, and Chotín. (TASR)
Welds and steel fittings on one of the lower lanes for pedestrians and cyclists on the Most SNP bridge are being repaired. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Partly cloudy skies are expected, with daytime temperatures ranging between 23°C and 29°C. Morning fog is possible in some areas. (SHMÚ)
AUGUST 5 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Brighten Hortenzia's day by wishing her Všetko najlepšie! tomorrow.
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