The situation in Slovak healthcare is taking a turn for the worse under the burden of the coronavirus crisis, with staff exhausted and demotivated and the hospitals growing increasingly overcrowded with infected patients, prompting the Slovak Medical Chamber (SLK) and Slovak Medical Association (SLS) to urge the public to exercise caution during holidays. They called on people to keep in touch only with a small circle of friends and family, for however long such distancing is needed. "Please, call off your Christmas and New Year's Eve ski trips, with their cable car rides and crowded turnstiles. Refrain from big celebrations on New Year's Eve and enjoy the time outdoors in the woods instead," pleaded SLK president Marian Kollar.
Both organisations have also urged all doctors in the private and state health sectors to show solidarity with each other. The third call was addressed to Health Minister Marek Krajči (OLaNO), with SLK President Kollar asking him to talk more with professional organisations and convene a meeting of health officials as soon as possible. "If not, we'll consider this to be a failure on the minister's part," he said.
