Health Personnel Across Entire Sector Reject Consolidation Measures

Bratislava, October 28 (TASR) - Health personnel across the entire sector unanimously reject the consolidation measures in the health sector passed by Parliament and voiced this stance at their meeting with President Peter Pellegrini on Tuesday. "This senseless and even pernicious measure - the bill that the government passed and subsequently Parliament approved turned all representatives in the health sector into strange bedfellows. Not because we want to protect our interests but because we are speaking the truth about what's happening to the Slovak health sector and what would happen if this deleterious measure came into effect," declared president of the Nurse and Midwives Labour Union Monika Kavecka. In her view, it's about time for the government to start a dialogue with the health personnel. Together with head of the Doctors' Labour Union (LOZ) Peter Visolajsky, they criticised the government for its failure to discuss the measures with any of the organisations involved. In this context, however, all representatives of the sector praised the President's decision to meet them. "At the moment, he's the first among the state leadership who talked with us about this matter," noted Visolajsky, who views Pellegrini's move as the fomenting of calm in a "senseless conflict" started by the government. Visolajsky reiterated that there are options to save money in the sector other than meddling with the salaries of health personnel. He warned that if the approved bill is not amended, enough doctors and nurses will leave hospitals to make the health care in Slovakia collapse. "All of us here wish to negotiate and seek a compromise. We're very glad that the President received us. We've got 12 days left to negotiate and I hope that if the government shows good intention on its side as well, the talks might still be successful," declared president of the Emergency Medical Service Association (AZZS) Matej Polak. Vice-president of the Slovak Chamber of Medical First-responders (SKZZ) Michal Weinciller added that, if allowed to come into effect, the passed consolidation measures will bear a direct impact on the emergency medical service and take it 15 years back into the past. The joint stance of the health sector is backed also by outpatient doctors, who warned that impacts will be felt also by their patients. "If the measures approved are applied to the outpatient sector in the current form, it will mean cuts to the accessibility of health care for patients," said president of the Outpatient Health Care Providers Association (ZAP) Jaroslav Orosova. mf/mcs