Sasko: Ambulances Could Be Operated by Hospitals with Accident and Emergency

Bratislava, 27 January (TASR) - Ambulance services could fall under the remit of hospitals with accident and emergency departments, according to a plan of changes to the emergency medical services (EMS) system presented by Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) at a press conference on Tuesday. Sasko said that hospitals would be able to choose how they operate ambulance services, with three options available, but the responsibility for both choosing the model and for actually operating the service would always lie with the hospital. According to Sasko, comprehensive legislation would be prepared on the basis of a broad expert discussion, while the plan has already won support among experts and politicians. A hospital could operate the services itself and in its own name, or via an entity set up by the hospital with 100-percent ownership. Sasko said that the state already has such entities set up, i.e. ZZS Bratislava and the Kosice Emergency Medical Service, which will be supplemented by an integrated rescue system. As a third option, explained Sasko, services could be ordered from a third party "under specifically defined and, above all, transparent conditions set by law". Each hospital will provide an emergency service within its specific catchment area that will be precisely defined by legislation. Outside these catchment areas, this will be guaranteed by the state through its ambulance services or the integrated rescue system. All rules for emergency services will be defined by a new law, with the state actively monitoring compliance, added Sasko. "In the coming weeks we'll present specific legislative plans, and a broad discussion of experts will take place. I won't allow this process to be shortened or rushed, and I won't let any provisions be included without being discussed transparently," stressed Sasko. Following a wave of criticism regarding a tender for ambulance services announced by the EMS Operations Centre in May 2025, Sasko admitted that the system requires changes. The tender was criticised by both the opposition and part of the coalition for a lack of transparency, and it was scrapped in August of last year. jrg/df