The Health Ministry rejects the claims by the junior governing Slovak National Party (SNS) that its health-care reform, also called stratification, would lead to the closure of hospitals and such assertions are due to nothing more than a lack of comprehension of the document. The Ministry is open to dialogue and ready to explain the document again.
The Hospitals' stratification reform has been submitted by the Health Minister Andrea Kalavská, who is a nominee of the largest governing SMER-SD party. Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, also of SMER-SD supports the reform, however, it lacks the support of the SMER-SD party as such. Its chair Robert Fico said in the past that he would only support the law if it was submitted as a constitutional law. However, the law has been submitted to the parliament as an ordinary law. Moreover, the SNS has not expressed its stance. "Unless Robert Fico says clearly that he stands behind the Smer-SD minister, SNS sees no reason to make any comments - whether positive or negative," said Danko, speaker of Parliament and SNS chair.
In spite of the disagreements, the Government approved the Act on Health-care Providers on Friday. The MPs should discuss and vote on the reform at its next session, which starts in October. The Slovak Hospitals Association (ANS) perceives the controlled stratification as necessary, but objects to having it applied only to state hospitals. Opposition parties Freedom and Solidarity, We are Family and Ordinary People expressed their stance, that if some small changes are implemented, they would vote for the bill. Moreover, the coalition Most-Híd party also supports the reform. Health Minister Andrea Kalavská said that if the reform becomes a subject of political warfare, she is determined to withdraw the proposal.
The purpose of the proposed legislation is to concentrate specialized health care and some types of operations in hospitals that have the skills and experience needed to provide them, thereby ensuring better quality health care.
The current draft of the hospital's stratification plans to create a network of hospitals optimally distributed across the country with guaranteed funding from health insurance companies and fully functional by 2030. Hospitals are to be divided into three categories, each offering a different range of services.
