Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre Director Povolny Resigns

Bratislava, 11 August (TASR) - Marian Povolny has resigned from the post of director of the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre (OS ZZS), the centre's deputy spokesman Richard Boljesik confirmed for TASR on Monday, adding that he did so of his own volition. Povolny has led the operations centre since February. OS ZZS has been mentioned in connection with the much-criticised ambulance service tender in the past couple of weeks, and opposition parties have initiated a no-confidence motion in Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) over the tender. MP Tomas Szalay (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS) in connection with the motion pointed to a selection procedure for the OS ZZS head that took place at the Health Ministry last Thursday (7 August) and was reportedly won by Povolny. Sasko on Friday (8 August) said that he'll announce the next steps to be taken regarding the controversial ambulance tender on Monday. He said that he's aware of concerns raised in the public sphere, which he personally finds troubling. As a response, he's asked his expert team and the OS ZZS leadership to examine all options, including the potential cancellation of the tender. He claimed that he can't scrap the tender by law and that only the OS ZZS director, who carries out the entire tender, can do so. ko/df