Constitutional Court: Amendment to NIHO Act Not in Conflict with Constitution

Kosice, 19 November (TASR) - The amendment to the law on the Health Technology Assessment Institute (NIHO), which was approved by Parliament in June of last year, isn't in conflict with the Constitution, TASR reported based on information from Constitutional Court spokesperson Martina Ferencova about the ruling adopted at a non-public plenary session on Wednesday. The Court thereby rejected a motion filed by opposition MPs for the Christian Democrats (KDH) Peter Stachura and Frantisek Majersky. The amendment made changes to NIHO's main role, while at the same time allowing the health minister to dismiss its director and any member of the supervisory board without giving any reason. In July of last year, Stachura and Majersky announced their decision to file a motion with the Constitutional Court after President Peter Pellegrini signed the bill into law. "We believe that by signing this amendment, the president has allowed gross interference in the independence of the Health Technology Assessment Institute by removing the director without giving any reason and by appointing a nominee of the Health Ministry. This violates the constitutional rights of the citizens of the Slovak Republic, and we'll therefore file a complaint with the Constitutional Court," said the MPs last year. jrg/df