INEKO: Hospitals in Ruzomberok and Kosice Again Best in Slovakia in 2023

Bratislava, December 9 (TASR) - The Central Military Hospital in Ruzomberok (Zilina region) has been selected as the best state university and faculty hospital of the year again this year, while Agel Hospital in Kosice-Saca has also successfully defended its position as the best general hospital, Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO) head Dusan Zachar announced earlier this week. INEKO drew up the rankings in cooperation with Transparency International Slovakia based on data from health insurers, health-care facilities, the Health Ministry, regional authorities and other bodies for the 2019-2022 period. F.D. Roosevelt Faculty Hospital in Banska Bystrica maintained second place in the category of state university and faculty hospitals, while Martin University Hospital came in third. As for general hospitals, Stara Lubovna Hospital (Presov region) also held on to its second place from the previous year, while third place went to Poprad Hospital (Presov region). The evaluation also showed that the coronavirus pandemic negatively affected the quality and productivity of Slovak hospitals mainly in 2020 and 2021. This unfavourable trend was reversed as early as last year, but pre-pandemic levels are not yet being reached. "For example, when it came to 23 selected therapeutic operations that make up some 60 percent of the volume of all operations in Slovakia, the output of Slovak hospitals in 2022 was still almost 17 percent lower than in the pre-pandemic year of 2019," said Zachar. Last year, the authors of the evaluation observed a year-on-year (y-o-y) improvement in a moderate majority of quality indicators. Mortality indicators have improved, and the average waiting time for ambulances has been reduced. However, the proportion of operations that have had to be repeated and the number of hospital admissions have increased y-o-y, which is not a good sign, stated INEKO. The evaluation also notes a long-term increase in the level of satisfaction expressed by hospital patients. However, patient complaints and fines imposed by the Health-care Supervision Office for poorly provided health care also increased significantly y-o-y. ko/df