Since the new year, dozens of clinics have started collecting fees during examinations to compensate for operating costs. This was confirmed for TASR by the president of the Association of Private Physicians (ASL) of the Slovak Republic, Marián Šóth. He warns that if the state does not increase payments for outpatient providers, other clinics will join them. He points to the high advance payments for energy, which the health care providers are unable to continue to pay without the help of the state. "If someone paid around 1,000 euros for a small polyclinic, now they receive advance payments for some 3,000 to 4,000 euros," explained Šóth. "The second thing is that we have to raise the salaries of the employees or else they will leave us," he added.
He confirmed that ASL members also have a tendency to collect fees. "We have dampened this activity for the time being. Since the budget for the health sector somehow increased, we were waiting to see how it would affect ambulances," he pointed out. However, the association has already prepared a letter for patients, in which it informs about the necessity of introducing fees. "We don't want to cause problems for patients. On the contrary, we choose the path of the lesser evil. The greater is the non-contractual relationship with the insurance company and the full reimbursement of the patient. In this case, the patient would pay for all examinations, tests, medicines. The biggest evil is the closing of clinics, which is a realistic threat if we do nothing," states ASL in the letter. (TASR)
