OPPOSITION parties are calling on Health Minister Zuzana Zvolenská to resign for her post for what they call the unacceptable failure in managing the ministry. They criticise her for the tender on licences for helicopter rescue services.
If she does not, the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and Most-Híd will submit a proposal to summon a no-confidence vote, the SITA newswire reported on October 10.
The Health Ministry employees were not capable to announce the tender on time, which left Bratislava and Trenčín Regions being without the “quickest medical aid” in September, according to KDH Chairman Ján Figeľ and Béla Bugár, leader of Most-Híd.
“If there is only a minimum chance to save the life, the state needs to offer the help effectively and on time,” Figeľ and Bugár said, as quoted by SITA, adding that despite the Zvolenská’s “inexcusable failure”, she did not punish anybody for the late tender.
The New Majority-Agreement (NOVA) movement says they will support the no-confidence vote. Similarly to other ministers, Zvolenská is only an “obedient footman” and fulfils the tasks she receives from her supervisors, said Daniel Lipšic, chair of NOVA, as reported by the TASR newswire.
Zvolenská has been under criticism for the lack of medical helicopter services in Bratislava and Trenčín Regions between September 12 and 16. The old licences expired in May and Zvolenská did not sign new licences for the use of heliports in the regions until September 16. Both ended up temporarily out of service, as the selection committee – citing a high number of bidders – took longer than expected to a pick a winner in a tender, TASR wrote.
Source: SITA, TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
