Jozef Hricka Becomes New Director of OS ZSS

Bratislava, 12 August (TASR) - Jozef Hricka has become the new director of the Emergency Medical Service Operational Centre (OS ZSS), appointed to the position by Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) on Tuesday, OS ZSS spokesperson Veronika Danicova confirmed to TASR on the same day. She added that Hricka previously worked as a healthcare analyst at the University Hospital and at the state-owned VsZP health insurance company. On Monday (11 August), the then-head of OS ZZS, Marian Povolny, resigned from his post, citing a personal decision. Povolny had led the OS ZZS since February. In recent weeks, the OS ZZS has come under scrutiny over a controversial ambulance tender. Opposition parties have submitted a motion of no confidence in Minister Sasko to Parliament over the matter. MP Tomas Szalay (Freedom and Solidarity) noted that a selection process for the director of OS ZZS was held on Thursday (7 August) at the Health Ministry, claiming that Povolny won the selection. On Monday (11 August), the Health Minister announced that a new director would be appointed on Tuesday to take all necessary steps as soon as possible to legally cancel the ambulance tender. The decision was based on preliminary findings of an analysis requested by the ministry the previous week. According to the minister, the results indicated the presence of legal uncertainty, which could have allowed for differing interpretations of the legal framework governing the ongoing tender, potentially threatening the transparency of the process. mf/mcs