Opposition Objects to Lack of Details on Planned National Hospital in Bratislava

Bratislava 29 January (TASR) - The opposition still doesn't have enough information about the new national hospital planned in the Vajnory burough of Bratislava, according to statements made by opposition members of Parliament after a session of the House health committee on Thursday at which the Health Ministry presented the medical plan for the new national hospital. The opposition would like to know what the hospital network in the capital will look like after the new facility opens. It also pointed out that financing has been secured only for this year and next, with additional sources to be sought by a future government. "We must state that the most basic question - how the optimal hospital network in the Bratislava region will be set up, which Bratislava residents and the wider public were probably also waiting for - was not answered at the committee session," said MP Peter Stachura (KDH). Stachura stated that it's unclear how the medical plan can count on 1,532 beds if it isn't clear which hospital is to close after the new one opens. "We're talking about specific beds, but we don't know how many beds Bratislava needs and which hospitals will be phased out or closed," he added. MP Tomas Szalay (SaS) said that both the public and providers need to know what the new hospital will mean for health care in Bratislava. "Who stays, who survives, who moves, who doesn't move, what should be invested in, which departments or outpatient clinics should be developed in Bratislava," he said, pointing to the need for long-term decisions. MP Oskar Dvorak (PS) described the committee session as pointless, criticising the lack of information on the hospital network in Bratislava. "I therefore cannot assess whether the decision on what the hospital should look like, how many floors it should have and what capacity it should have is correct, because nobody told me what role the other hospitals will play, and that will influence the role of this hospital," he said. Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) rejected the criticism, stating that the optimisation of the health-care network in Bratislava has been completed. He said that it will still need to be updated after the results of an audit and announced that he would then present the optimisation to MPs. In addition, Sasko commented on the financing of the project, declaring that funding has been secured for this year and next. He argued that subsequent financing will depend on the priorities of the next government, noting that the opposition itself continues to speak about the need for a new hospital. mf/df