Hospitals Association joins strike alert in mid-May

The Association of Slovak Hospitals (ANS), which brings together 75 small and medium-sized hospitals all over Slovakia, will join the strike alert initiated by the Trade Union of Health and Social Services if no solution to increase financial resources is found by mid-May. It is also considering asking the Constitutional Court to examine whether laws introducing increased costs for recreational vouchers, and night and weekend shifts without additional financial coverage, are in line with the Constitution. These measures are to be financed by hospitals, but they do not have the resources to do so - ANS members alone are missing about €17 million. Overall the Association estimates that the Slovak healthcare system is in need of an additional €150 million to cover legislative changes this year. Slovakia has a universal coverage system. On Monday the largest health insurance company - the state-owned Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, which has a market share of 60.9 percent - reported a €15.8 million loss in the first quarter of the year. The second largest health insurance company Dôvera - privately owned - is also expected to be in the red.