Sasko Believes That Doctors Will Withdraw Resignations When He Presents Plan

Bratislava, November 25 (TASR) - Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) at the Autumn Itapa conference in Bratislava on Monday said that he's ready to hold non-stop talks with the Doctors Trade Union (LOZ) until December 31 if necessary and persuade most doctors to withdraw their resignation notices when he presents his action plan for the sector. "I have no problem with negotiating non-stop until December 31 in order to convince the vast majority of doctors that what we want to do is sustainable and flexible," said Sasko, who'd like to present his action plan at a sector tripartite meeting in two weeks. Sasko didn't want to comment on the ongoing negotiations with the doctors' trade union. "I don't want to comment on any partial steps, as I think that it would have no added value if the negotiations are to benefit Slovak patients," he said, describing the talks as matter-of-fact and mutually respectful. The minister further announced that by the end of the year he will submit a document for creating a committee to monitor the memorandum that LOZ signed in 2022 with the then government in 2022. This is one of the points of the memorandum that hasn't been met since it was signed in 2022. The committee should keep an eye on the implementation of the memorandum. "I will also speak to the premier so that such a committee is set up and so that we'll meet on a regular basis," he added. More than 3,300 doctors in hospitals across Slovakia have already filed resignation notices in a show of displeasure with the situation prevailing in health care. The doctors are also considering submitting overtime work refusals. They are willing to withdraw them if the government starts meeting their demands. They first and foremost insist that the points of the memorandum from 2022 should be met. They also want the government to publicly declare that state-run hospitals won't be transformed into joint-stock companies. ko/df