THE SLOVAK media have reported an undercover investigation in Slovakia by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper which reported that Slovakia’s poor monitoring mechanism allowed low-quality health aids to be imported via Slovakia into Europe.
The reporters set up a fictitious Chinese firm, produced a brochure about an artificial lumbar joint and tried to get a licence for their product in several European countries including Slovakia, the Sme daily wrote, citing the British newspaper. They asked a private institute in Nová Dubnica to check one of the lumbar joints, which was faulty. The certification firm did not note any faults and promised the reporters that it would obtain a certificate.
The whole case was published by the Daily Telegraph on October 23. The director of the institute has since rejected the reports and told Sme that the reporters manipulated the evidence.
The Slovak Health Ministry said that the case falls under the jurisdiction of the Economy Ministry, which in turn has said that a subordinate office, dealing with metrology, should deal with the issue. That office is standing by the institute, arguing that its response consisted only of non-binding
“consultations”. Despite this, the police’s Office for the Fight Against Corruption will investigate the case, Sme wrote.
