The annual State of the Republic Report - in which President Zuzana Caputova pointed, among other things, to a lack of stability and cooperation, and to key problems in Slovak healthcare - has triggered much reaction from Slovak politicians as well as health professionals.
The Prime Minister appreciated Caputova's speech, describing it as a well-balanced and faithful description of reality, which included both shortcomings and successes on the part of the Government.
House Chair and 'We Are Family' leader Boris Kollar liked Caputova's statement that endorsed the fight against corruption, but while keeping an eye on the lawfulness of its methods. Kollar agrees that the public is disappointed. "In addition to the cleansing (of corruption), the public also expected to see higher living standards," he claimed.
The coalition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party concurs with President Zuzana Caputova's opinion that Slovakia needs stability and unity in governance, adding that SaS is attempting to supply that unity, SaS caucus chair Anna Zemanova claimed at a press conference on Tuesday.
Opposition Voice-SD leader Peter Pellegrini said that the president could have been considerably stricter in her assessments. "When taking into account how deep and serious are the problems of Slovak society, I found her language rather too mild," said Pellegrini.
According to Smer-SD party leader Robert Fico, the president omitted from her speech the Government's responsibility for the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people's lives.
And according to the Slovak Nurses and Midwives Chamber, President Zuzana Caputova pointed to key problems bedevilling the Slovak healthcare system, in which thousands of nurses are leaving the profession prematurely over poor working conditions, low wages and low quality of equipment.
