Klinika Kostka (source: Sme)
“The decision regarding the suspicions will be made after thorough analyses and necessary criminal procedures are made,” the TASR newswire learnt from Police Corps President press department on February 5.
On February 2, the opposition Sieť party drew attention to extraordinary profits enjoyed by Dr. Pavel Kostka under Robert Fico’s government due to special VšZP payments. Kostka’s clinic specialises in massages and rehabilitation.
In the meantime, Transparency International Slovensko watchdog discovered that Klinika Kostka also received money from the Prime Minister’s reserve and European funds.
VšZP argued that the contract establishing a unique payment code for Klinika Kostka was already signed back in 2011 under former director Marian Faktor (a nominee of Christian-Democratic Movement-KDH), and that the deal was abrogated in 2015. In his rebuttal, Faktor claimed that the agreed sums were significantly lower and that the blame for original health treatment payments of €10,000 per month swelling up to €1.5 million per year rests squarely with the ruling Smer party.
Kostka, owner of the clinic, rejects Sieť’s criticism, describing it as an election campaign move.
The state-owned health insurer VšZP has launched itself an audit of Klinika Kostka, and parliamentary health committee chair Richard Raši (of Smer) is convinced that it will take only a few days to shed light on how much truth there really is to the recent statements. “Whether or not everything was in order will be revealed by the audit,” said Raši on RTVS’ political show Sobotné Dialógy (Saturday Dialogues). Raši stressed that the clinic does not specialise only in massages but also in the extensive provision of health treatments for thousands of patients.
Former health minister [2010-12] and current KDH MP Ivan Uhliarik, also on the show, considers the case of Klinika Kostka to indicate an absolute failure, with the blame lying on both VšZP and Health Minister Viliam Čislák. He maintains that money has been thrown out the window on activities that could have been carried out at a much lower cost. He also objects to pinning the blame on Marian Faktor, under whose tenure a unique payment code was assigned to the clinic, claiming that it “suits Smer to have someone take out millions of euros and then frame a predecessor”.
