The agreement between the Ministry of Health (MZ) of Slovakia and the Medical Trade Union Association (LOZ), which prevented a mass resignation of doctors last December, will cost the state approximately €500 million.
This estimate comes from the Slovak Association of Hospitals (ANS), whose president, Marián Petko, warned that the budget does not cover these funds. Additionally, he highlighted a shortfall of at least €350 million in the healthcare sector this year. Petko also noted that hospitals under the ANS will need an additional €161 million in 2025 due to rising healthcare worker salaries, inflation, and other factors like child sports vouchers.
Petko stated that these financial demands would be presented during a meeting with Health Minister Kamil Šaško on Wednesday, January 15, and he would push for the elimination of the transaction tax on healthcare providers. "If this does not happen, we will file a lawsuit with the European Commission," said Petko, referencing a potential anti-discrimination case.
Regarding the LOZ-MZ agreement, Petko revealed that in about 70% of ANS hospitals, doctors withdrew their resignations without signing an addendum to their employment contracts. He criticized these addenda, questioning their legal validity. Petko did not rule out legal action, pointing out that hospital directors signed the contracts under pressure and had to rehire all doctors on permanent contracts, regardless of individual circumstances.
In December 2024, the Health Minister signed the agreement on behalf of the government to restore social harmony in healthcare. The government committed to fulfilling several demands by medical unions, including addenda for doctors who had resigned. Both sides also agreed to continue negotiations on contentious issues. The deal averted the collapse of hospitals threatened by the resignations of over 3,300 doctors. Doctors conditionally returned to their posts, with the government required to meet its promises by the end of February 2025.
Source: STVR
