Doctors' trade unions complain about financial house Penta

The Slovak doctors' trade unions appear to be uneasy with some of the financial group Penta's activities in the Slovak health care system. They've turned to the European Commission to ask it to look into Penta's cross ownership of the Dovera health insurer and health care providers, such as hospitals, polyclinics, laboratories and pharmacies. "A suspicion has emerged mainly because Dovera buys health care for its policyholders. At the same time Penta owns health care providers and it's the largest privately owned health care provider in Slovakia," said the head of the Doctors' Trade Union (LOZ) Peter Visolajský. He noted that this couldn't be possible in the USA, and it isn't seen to such an extent in neighbouring European countries, either. Visolajský noted that a health insurer should care about the efficiency of patient's treatment, for example, by making sure that not too many drugs are used - but there can be a conflict of interest if the insurer and health-care facilities and pharmacies are all owned by the same entity. Penta spokesman Gabriel Toth reacted by stating that he hasn't seen the complaint submitted to the European Commission. But reacting to what the Doctors' Trade Union presented at the press conference, Penta views the accusations as ill-founded and untrue and that the trade union is lying deliberately.