KDH: Health Care Collapsing Under Voice-SD Leadership

Bratislava, 17 December (TASR) – The state of Slovak health care after two years of the sector being led by the Voice-SD party is abysmal, with the system sliding into chaos, patient fees rising and the state gradually retreating in favour of private financial groups, opposition's Christian Democrats (KDH) declared on Wednesday. "For two years we have seen no systemic improvements. On the contrary, health care is falling apart, hospitals are sinking deeper into debt and patients are paying more and more – when visiting doctors, in hospitals and during operations. The state is not addressing this problem, it is simply letting it fester," said KDH MP Peter Stachura. KDH warns that Bratislava still lacks a clearly defined hospital network or a medical plan. It also criticises the fact that state-run hospitals remain without a vision for their future operation. According to the party, this chaos creates room for the gradual eroding of state hospitals and the strengthening of private investors. "There is a risk that patients will be forced to rely on private facilities and will have to pay significantly extra for follow-up treatment or rehabilitation. Solidarity in the system is breaking down," Stachura noted. He also pointed to serious suspicions regarding hospital financing by the state-owned VsZP health insurer. "It is unacceptable that the state insurer provides higher payments to the private Agel group than to state or regional hospitals. This is a long-term problem to which the ministry is not responding," Stachura stated. Stachura also mentioned the situation at the Merciful Brothers Hospital, where, according to him, a dispute with VsZP over reimbursements may have led to financial pressure on its owner. KDH is therefore calling for an immediate audit of financial flows within VsZP and a review of all suspicions of undue preferential treatment of selected entities. mf