President Happy that Health Ministry Can Continue with New Leader

Bratislava, October 10 (TASR) - I'm glad that the Health Ministry can continue under a new head, President Peter Pellegrini stated following the appointment of new Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) on Thursday, stressing that not even a week has passed since the resignation of former minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD) was announced. The head of state emphasised that this is the sector where ministers have changed most frequently since Slovakia became independent. "This also shows that this is an extremely demanding ministry, because it directly affects health, as the highest value of many people in Slovakia," said the president, adding that people in every part of Slovakia must be entitled to quality and affordable health care. Pellegrini appealed to the new health minister not to forget that the result of his mission in office is the healthiest possible people and that the sick receive the best possible care, pointing out that the Health Ministry is currently dominated by the topic of health workers' dissatisfaction with the impact of the consolidation of public finances and the threat of coercive actions. According to Pellegrini, it is the duty of the minister to do his best to ensure that the patient doesn't become a victim of the dispute. "I wish you a lot of energy, patience and the necessary autonomy in your decision-making, may you succeed in pursuing all your plans, finding common ground with all parts of the health-care system. Please surround yourselves with people who will be respected authorities in their fields so that we can treat people in Slovakia in accordance with modern scientific knowledge," stated the head of state. Pellegrini thanked former minister Dolinkova for her work in the ministry, stating that the topics she dealt with were comprehensive. According to him, the Health Ministry was marked by the failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. He praised the fact that Dolinkova had also devoted her time to long-term development projects. am/mcs