SaS MP Jana Bittó Cigániková (source: TASR)
MP of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party Jana Cigániková filed a criminal motion on September 11 against the University Hospital Bratislava (UNB) and its Kramáre facility. In the motion, she cites general public threat and suspicion of not reporting a crime as the reason.
MPs were informed by head of the Neurosurgery Clinic of L. Dérer (Kramáre), Andrej Šteňo, about two lists of patients awaiting surgery there. Šteňo calls for an MPs’ inspection at the clinic, and Cigánikov has echoed this request.
“Everything suggests that patients with less serious conditions were favoured to the detriment of those with more serious ailments,” the opposition MP said, as quoted by the Sme daily.
Preferring some patients
Those favoured were patients of the private clinic of one of the neurosurgery ward’s doctors. In his letter to MPs of the parliamentary healthcare committee, Šteňo claims this was the former head doctor of the ward.
Cigániková points out that if “poor management of oncology patients occurred, this is just the tip of the iceberg”. She also asks, as cited by Sme, who determines the order in which patients will be operated upon. She finds it unfortunate that personal conflicts and individual scandals in hospital are highly publicised, as well as the fact that parliament has to deal with them.
“Staff problems cannot have an impact on the life or death of patients,” she noted, adding that under normally set rules, such a situation should never occur.
Right order in waiting lists
The SaS Mp called on the UNB, under which the Kramáre facility falls, to ensure “good order in waiting lists” so that patients can see when they are supposed to have their surgery done.
Four doctors are leaving the Neurosurgery Clinic of the L. Dérer Hospital in Kramáre. Currently, they are within the two-month notice period. The are allegedly leaving due to disputes with the head of the clinic. The Kramáre clinic is a top neurosurgical ward in Slovakia, where under- and post-graduate training of doctors and nurses takes place.
Ministry monitors situation
The Health Ministry is closely following the situation at the clinic, its spokesperson Zuzana Eliášová said, adding that the ministry considers preference of patients for other than relevant medical reasons incorrect and in violation with basic ethical principles. She added, however, that the setting and right functioning of succession of patients for surgeries is fully within the authority of the due clinic’s management.
“The University Hospital’s management has already informed the ministry that all patients who were on the lists of patients waiting for surgery were sent letters and called upon to contact the clinic in order to get the date of their surgery,” Eliášová added for Sme. The management also informed the ministry that eight of ten patients had already undergone the surgery.” She summed up that management is adopting measures to stabilise the situation at the clinic.
