KDH: President's Appeal in Relation to Ambulances Only Formal Public Gesture

Bratislava, 24 July (TASR) - The president's warning finger has come too late and will have no impact on the outcome of the tender to select an ambulance service operator, opined the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) on Thursday, adding that they fear the outcome of the tender has already been decided "quietly and behind closed doors". "President [Peter] Pellegrini's appeal has come too late and will make no sense. It's just a formal gesture for the public because this could be the biggest scandal in the health-care sector in recent years, one for which Voice-SD Health Minister Kamil Sasko is responsible," said MP Peter Stachura. "Although the law may not be formally violated, there is a risk that the winners of the ambulance tender will include people who have never operated ambulances, or companies that were set up only this year and have promised to obtain ambulances in the future," he stated. MP Frantisek Majersky asked why the health minister doesn't make public the selection criteria, the members of the commission, their posts and the method by which ambulance service operators are selected. He also pointed out that KDH submitted a number of proposals on the tender aimed at making the entire selection process more transparent, such as public presentations by the tender applicants and the addition of an extra member of the selection committee; for example, one proposed by the self-governing regions or an anti-corruption NGO. President Peter Pellegrini earlier on Thursday called on Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice–SD) to ensure that the ambulance service tender process complies fully with the law. The President's Office issued his statement in response to a letter from the Doctors Trade Union Association (LOZ), which urged Pellegrini to ensure that the public procurement process for ambulance service licences is transparent and professional. The association expressed concern over the lack of information and the growing non-transparency of the tender. The Health Ministry stated that the selection process will be conducted properly, transparently and in line with the established terms. The tender concerns the operation of 344 ground ambulance stations and seven helicopter emergency medical service units. am/df