LOZ and Sasko Already Went Through Memorandum Items, Next Meeting on Friday

Bratislava, November 19 (TASR) - The doctors' labour union (LOZ) has already gone through all items of the 2022 memorandum with Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) and the minister will present the plan to meet them as well as the decision by the government on the transformation of state hospitals into joint-stock companies to the LOZ at their next meeting scheduled for Friday (November 22), head of LOZ Peter Visolajsky stated after meeting the minister on Tuesday. "We're waiting for answers," said Visolajsky. If the LOZ sees a genuine effort by the government to honour the agreed 2022 memorandum and a deal is struck, the doctors will withdraw their mass notices at once. "If the government started to address the health sector and we saw tangible steps on its part, we'd be ready to withdraw the notices as early as tomorrow. So this calls into question why the government is stalling for so long, even though it's well-aware that it can't resolve the situation in any other way than through an agreement [with the LOZ]," commented Visolajsky. Taking centre stage in Tuesday's meeting was mostly the issue of young doctors' education. mf/mcs