Smer-SD Won't Back Opposition Proposal to Dismiss Health Minister Sasko

Bratislava, 13 August (TASR) - The coalition Smer-SD party won't back the opposition's proposal to dismiss Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) in Parliament, parliamentary health committee chair Vladimir Balaz (Smer-SD) told journalists on Wednesday. Balaz thinks that Sasko bears political responsibility for the ambulance service tender, but he shouldn't leave his post. "I personally think that Kamil Sasko is a good minister. The things that he is doing are well underway at the ministry. ... When we change a minister, our ministries don't work in a way that all the people, general directors, directors who have a historical memory of what has been done there remain at the ministry. Everything is new, and then we're lost," argued Balaz, adding that he's discussed the tender and its scrapping with several lawyers. MPs didn't deal with a proposal to dismiss Sasko on Wednesday. As Parliament wasn't quorate, it will try again to open the debate on the proposal on Thursday (August 14). The no-confidence motion in Sasko was initiated in Parliament by the opposition in response to the tender for a licence to operate ambulance service stations. Opposition MPs spoke about its non-transparency, claiming that it had its winners agreed upon in advance. Sasko in reaction to the criticism said that he wouldn't allow any scandals or "shady deals". He asked the Prosecutor-General's Office (PG) to look into the lawfulness of the procedures related to the tender. At the same time, Sasko asked Zilina District Court to examine suspicions concerning the links of the bidders. He said that the tender would be scrapped in a lawful manner. The Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre (OS ZZS) cancelled the tender on Wednesday. ko/df