Doctors’ associations against 35 hour week

The doctors' associations do not like the draft to extend general practitioners' working hours to a minimum of 35 per week; a topic expected to be debated by MPs on Tuesday. The Slovak Chamber of Doctors, the Association of Private Physicians and the Slovak Society of General Practical Medicine argue that such changes which have been prepared "without the knowledge" of doctors are perceived by the medical community as very negative. They argue that it will not leave time for administrative chorus linked with running the medical practice and for educational activities and will make GP jobs even less attractive to medical students. The Health Ministry initially proposed that private clinic practitioners should spend at least 30 hours a week seeing patients. MPs, however, wish to change the proposal so that it should be 35 hours, and at least twice a week a doctor will be available until 3pm.