SaS: Health Care Must Become Topic Dealt with by Premier

Bratislava, October 7 (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party on Monday opined that health care must become a topic dealt with by the prime minister, and the new health minister must feel the support of Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) if the sector is to operate properly. According to SaS leader Branislav Groehling and SaS MP Tomas Szalay, the next health minister should be an experienced manager that understands the sector and knows what needs to be done. Szalay noted that the sector faces a number of challenges, and the support of the prime minister is essential in resolving them. According to him, outgoing Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD) did not have this support and therefore failed to push through many of the necessary measures. In this regard, the MP urged Fico to support the next health minister and "have their back". "If the prime minister was able to take such unpopular measures as VAT increases, which will affect all people of this country, then he should have the courage to stand up for unpopular but necessary measures that must be taken in order to prevent the collapse of the Slovak health-care system," said Szalay. Dolinkova announced last week that she was resigning, adding that she was planning to submit her resignation to President Peter Pellegrini in a short time. Pellegrini said at the weekend that he won't accept Dolinkova's resignation until the premier presents an appropriate replacement. zel/df