The least transparent Slovak hospital can be found in Lučenec, south-central Slovakia. (source: TASR)
Patients in Slovakia may receive the best health care in Ružomberok and Košice-Šaca. These two Slovak towns are home to the best hospitals in the country.
Ružomberok boasts the best university and teaching hospital in Slovakia, while Košice-Šaca is home to the best general hospital, according to the latest ranking of hospitals published by the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO), as reported by the Sme daily.
Conversely, a hospital in Vranov nad Topľou, eastern Slovakia, recorded the biggest fall in the ranking. It fell from 15th place to 25th place. It’s owned by Penta Hospitals. As for points, the hospital in Komárno, southern Slovakia, lost the highest number of points, falling from third to 13th place. The hospital, just like the one in Košice-Šaca, is in the portfolio of the Agel company.
In total, 44 hospitals feature in the ranking.
The institute assessed the quality of provided health care, doctors’ surgical experience, patients’ satisfaction, transparency, economic conditions and the difficulty of diagnoses. The institute added that hospitals remain to be negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic. For example, the number of surgeries has not reached the pre-pandemic level yet.
“In the long-term, patients have become more satisfied,” said INEKO chair Dušan Zachar.
The best state teaching and university hospitals in Slovakia (2023). The greener box, the better. (source: INEKO)
Enhancers
Of all hospitals, the emergency department is fastest in Stará Ľubovňa, north-east Slovakia. Paramedics wait for about 12 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s significantly less than the Slovak average waiting time of 21 minutes.
The Žilina hospital, which belongs to one of the largest in Slovakia, has improved the most, ending in fourth place. However, the hospital has received the highest number of fines for poorly provided health care.
Among general hospitals, the facility in Piešťany enhanced its performance the most over the past few years. It came in 21st in 2018, but it ended fifth in the latest ranking.
The best general hospitals in Slovakia (2023). (source: INEKO)
Unusual Trenčín
The most dissatisfied patients visit Penta’s hospital in Galanta, southern Slovakia. Patients coming to University Hospital Bratislava often leave dissatisfied, too.
The least transparent hospital can be found in Lučenec, south-central Slovakia.
Bojnice and Považská Bystrica, both in the Trenčín Region, have the worst management of finances. The teaching hospital in Nitra has performed no better in terms of finances.
But the teaching hospital in Trenčín managed to end last year with a surplus of €1.3 million. Still, Health Minister Zuzana Dolinková (Hlas) sacked hospital director Tomáš Janík and his deputy for nursing, Lenka Dunajová Družkovská. Dunajová Družkovská drew attention to a discrepancy regarding a €200-million call to renovate hospitals from the recovery plan, notes Sme. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case.
