The state-owned public health insurance company Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa (VšZP) favoured several companies linked to its management, confirmed the Slovak Supreme Audit Office. Companies associated with the aunt of the ex-director Marcel Forai received from country's biggest Slovak health insurer sums of money for products and services which they weren't capable of providing to the full extent. Moreover, companies linked to the new director, Miroslav Vaďura, who replaced Forai in September 2015 were also favoured by the health insurer. The audit inspected almost 250 suppliers of the insurance company and lasted some 8 months. The Supreme Audit Office stated that the inner audit of the health insurer is currently non-sufficient, complicated and non-transparent. However, the Supreme Audit Office can neither fine the insurance company, nor request the termination of its contracts. In its reaction, the state insurance company wrote that it disagrees with the findings of the report, but accepts the recommendations. It also reported that it is preparing a project aiming to make information accessible for the public in one place. The Health Care Ministry stated that it is informed about the case, however, the corrective measures have to be introduced by the new management of the state health insurer.
In spite of the confirmed wrongdoing, the health insurer extended some of the contracts of its suppliers until the end of this year. It claims the extension came after complaints by a small civic association called Union of Help and Health Support, which expressed its concerns about the accessibility of health care in eastern Slovakia. However, the Union is based in the western Slovak town of Trnava and could not provide information about the number of patients it represents and said that they register about 15 phone calls from seniors per month. Doctor and a lawyer Peter Kováč claims that the public health insurance company Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa cannot have extended unfavourable contracts based simply on several phone calls.
