Doctor Unionists Urge Authorities to Resolve Trencin Hospital Crisis

Bratislava, July 23 (TASR) - The Doctors' Labour Union (LOZ) urged on Tuesday the management of the Trencin Faculty Hospital and the Health Ministry to resolve the current crisis situation prevailing in the hospital department of cardiology, TASR was told by LOZ head Peter Visolajsky. The LOZ wants the hospital management to concede it has made a mistake and ask the outgoing doctors to withdraw their notices or, alternatively, have the ministry oust the new hospital director so as to make the department functional. In the LOZ's view, responsibility for the case rests with hospital director Michal Plesnik and Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD). "We're all the more saddened by the fact that, thanks to the longstanding work by LOZ, top-notch doctors have been returning from abroad back to Slovakia and it is because of these very missteps of the hospital management that there's a risk that several doctors of the Trencin department of cardiology might return to hospitals in Germany," said Visolajsky who fears that such an exodus might impact patients negatively. In Visolajsky's view, the Slovak health care is ripe for an intervention by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). The Trencin Faculty Hospital received notices from four doctors working part-time and took objection to claims of an impending collapse of the cardiology department. The hospital added that the provision of health care is fully secured, the outgoing doctors will stay at work until their notice period expires and three new doctors have joined the department to replace them as of July. The current situation was criticised also by opposition parties, which called on Health Minister Dolinkova to present specific remedial measures. The opposition pointed out that new Trencin hospital director Michal Plesnik ousted the head doctor of the cardiology department without any reason, which led to other doctors filing notices. The hospital maintains that the termination of the head doctor's tenure was preceded by an agreement between all parties involved. mf/mcs