House: Opposition MPs Urge Sasko to Fix Flaws in Psychology Bill (2)

Bratislava, April 16 (TASR) - Opposition MPs from Progressive Slovakia (PS), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and the Christian Democrats (KDH) are calling on Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) to engage with professionals and correct the flaws in a new bill on psychological and psycho-therapeutic practice, which they view as lacking expert support and being overly complex and difficult to implement, the parties stated at a press conference on Wednesday. The bill, which has advanced to its second reading during the current parliamentary session, has also drawn criticism from the Slovak Chamber of Psychologists for failing to deliver on promised reforms, including unified representation, recognition of education and funding for the chamber. "This proposal narrows access to care and further confines it within the health-care sector, which is the exact opposite of what Slovakia needs amid the current mental-health crisis," said MP Michal Sabo (PS). He added that while the ministry formally drafted the bill to meet the objectives of the recovery plan, in his view the proposal is unclear and unworkable in its current form. He also criticised the fact that it was prepared by people with no practical experience. President of the Slovak Chamber of Psychologists, Jan Grossman, emphasised that the proposed reform was meant to improve access to psychological and psycho-therapeutic services, and to allow qualified professionals, who are currently unable to practice legally under existing legislation, to do so. "The law was supposed to unify psychologists under one roof, recognise their qualifications, and secure funding for the chamber, but it fails to deliver these changes," he said, adding that it creates confusion instead. "The functioning of both psychologists and the chamber will become even more unclear to professionals and to clients — that is, the citizens of Slovakia. The professional community has repeatedly submitted comments on the bill to the Health Ministry, but the ministry has accepted almost nothing from the relevant feedback," added Grossman. According to him, the new legislation won't make care more accessible. He's calling on the Health Ministry to accept the chamber's comments and not create "a law that serves only a narrow interest group". Maria Kolikova (SaS) added that the minister had indicated that he was open to dialogue on amending the proposal during its second reading. "We're jointly calling on the Health Minister to ensure that these aren't just empty words, and that he will follow through on what he said in Parliament. He should sit down with people who want to provide solutions so that professional help is available to those who need support with their mental health," she stated. The new bill passed to its second reading in Parliament at the end of March, with the final vote expected at the next session. According to the Health Ministry, the legislation aims to improve access to quality psychological and psycho-therapeutic care, while also providing unified regulation and oversight of these professions across different sectors. NOTE: This story has been updated to include the 6th and 7th paragraphs. lin/df