Drucker: I Don't Think That Sasko Should Resign over Ambulance Tender

Bratislava, 5 November (TASR) - Education Minister and Voice-SD vice-chair Tomas Drucker doesn't think that Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) should resign from his post over the tender to select operators of ambulance stations. Drucker said this before the government session on Wednesday when asked by journalists if Sasko should remain in his ministerial post following the Prosecutor-General (PG) Office's ruling that terminating the ambulance tender was unlawful. "It's a factual question. Sasko must study what the PG is accusing him of. As far as I know, minister Sasko made his decision based on some legal analysis. So, his people will have to take up a stance on it, evaluate it and deal with it," he said. According to Drucker, an available emergency medical service is the most important thing. "So that it doesn't suddenly stop working at some point," he said. He doesn't think that Sasko should resign from his ministerial post, although opposition representatives are calling for this. "The opposition is still calling for some dismissals, no matter what the opposition it is, as it's their job," stated Drucker. PG Maros Zilinka stated on Tuesday (4 November) that the Health Ministry acted at odds with the law during the ambulance tender. He objected to steps related to the scrapping of the tender and so filed prosecutor's complaints concerning this matter. The Health Ministry maintains that the procedure applied when the ambulance tender was scrapped was lawful and justified, and that it was carried out in the interests of protecting public health. Sasko repeated this before the government session on Wednesday as well. At the same time, he said that he respects Zilinka's legal opinion. However, he pointed out that whether actions taken by public authorities are unlawful or not can only be decided by a court. ko/df