PG Zilinka: Health Ministry Acted at Odds with Law Regarding Ambulance Tender

Bratislava, 4 November (TASR) - The Health Ministry acted at odds with the law on health-care providers and the law on administrative proceedings during the tender to select operators of ambulance stations, Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka has posted on a social network. "After receiving the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre's report on the results of the tender on 11 August, the Health Ministry returned the report to the operations centre on 12 August. The operations centre then scrapped the tender on 13 August, and the Health Ministry halted the proceedings regarding applications for a permit to operate ambulance stations on 8 October. By this, the ministry acted at odds with the law on health-care providers and the law on administrative proceedings," stated Zilinka. According to Zilinka, the ministry as an administrative body didn't respect the legal order by which it was bound by the result of the tender. A commission set up by the operations centre prepared a report on the tender. "After receiving the report on 11 August, the ministry was obliged to act and decide on issuing a permit or rejecting the application for a permit within ten days [of receiving the report]. However, it returned the report to the operations centre and didn't make a decision on the administrative proceedings based on the binding tender result," explained the PG. By halting the proceedings, the ministry as a public administration body, at odds with its legal obligation, refused to make a decision on the applications, thereby interfering to the detriment of the rights of the tender participants, added Zilinka. The Emergency Medical Services Operations Centre announced a tender to select operators of ambulance stations in May. The opposition and part of the coalition criticised the tender mainly relating to a lack of transparency. The operations centre scrapped it in August. ko/df