SaS Lambasts Scrapping of Hospital Joint-stock Transformation Plan

Bratislava, November 12 (TASR) - The transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies would bring efficiency, order, public control and the responsible use of funds to the health-care system, stated the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party on Tuesday, criticising the government's withdrawal from the original plan, which was part of the consolidation package. "Why does this government want to back away from this really good idea? I agree it's not a cure-all, it will not resolve all the problems of the Slovak health-care system, [but] it's a necessary first step that must be implemented," said SaS MP Tomas Szalay. He stressed that state hospitals are currently not subject to public audits, do not have to issue annual reports, and society has no insight into how they are managed. Szalay said that hospitals need rules to ensure they don't become "bottomless pits" in which money is wasted. He added that the Slovak health-care sector isn't lagging behind because there is lack of qualified people, but because the system of state-owned contributory organisations fails to support efficiency and transparency. If hospitals were joint-stock companies, they would be required to keep standard accounts and undergo public audits. "If we monitor every euro, waste at these hospitals will be significantly reduced, and the money will be used where patients need it, the money will go to the patients," added Szalay. SaS believes that the system of joint-stock companies would also make hospital management more professional. "A joint-stock company gives hospitals the opportunity to observe modern management practices, political interference is abandoned," the MP added. The government announced a proposal to transform hospitals into joint-stock companies in September as part of its consolidation package. The proposal was opposed by the Doctors Trade Union (LOZ), which argued that it could lead to the privatisation of hospitals. LOZ insisted that the government should clearly state there would be no such transformation. In late October, both Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) declared that the issue of transforming hospitals into joint-stock companies was off the table. tl/df/zel