'Slovakia' Party Wants to Oust Health Minister Dolinkova (2)

Bratislava, April 11 (TASR) - 'Slovakia' party wants to table a proposal to initiate a no-confidence motion in Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD), as it believes that the minister has done nothing for patients during her tenure and only works to the benefit of private investment group Penta, representatives of 'Slovakia' announced at a press briefing on Thursday. "This woman has done nothing for the benefit of patients and everything for the benefit of [Jaroslav] Hascak and Penta over the half a year [she's been at the helm of the ministry]. Because of this, we're proposing her ouster," declared party leader Igor Matovic, who hopes that the motion will garner support also from Progressive Slovakia and KDH. The 'Slovakia' party criticised the minister for stopping a reform that was supposed to introduce maximum waiting times for surgery and over her activities regarding the reclassification of hospitals. Ex-health minister Marek Krajci pointed to the reclassification of Penta-owned Bory Hospital to a higher category and the signing of an addendum with a hospital in Spisska Nova Ves that might put the resources from the Recovery Plan in jeopardy. Krajci also lambasted Dolinkova over plans to build a new university hospital in Bratislava, which was supposed to be constructed at Razsochy. He pointed out that despite the original plan, the minister ordered a drafting of a new study, co-authored by Penta, which charted a new plan to build the hospital in Ruzinov and as late as in 2038. Krajci called on the Government to stick to the original Razsochy plan. SaS MP Jan Bitto Ciganikova doesn't think that Dolinkova is showing preferential treatment to Penta. "I think that she's trying to deliver hospitals to the regions because the people don't care a whit who owns a hospital, they need health care, so I find it right to do the utmost to make sure that hospitals get built," she said. mf/mcs