Marcinkova to Promote Right of Underage Patients to Companion in Hospital Again

Bratislava, April 25 (TASR) - Opposition lawmaker Vladimira Marcinkova (SaS) wants to restore the legal anchor for the right of underage patients to have an adult companion present during the provision of health care. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Marcinkova underlined that the presence of a parent in hospital could shorten the actual length of stay there and relieve medical staff. "A parent can feed the child, reposition them and change their nappies. They can really perform those routine tasks that burden medical staff and must be carried out when the parent is not there," she pointed out, adding that the presence of a parent with a child in hospital would have a positive impact not only on the child's mental state but also on public finances. Pain medication would also be used to a lesser extent. According to Marcinkova, if a parent or a familiar person were with the child, the time spent in hospital would be shortened by two days overall. The MP reported that more than 60,000 parents have signed a petition for the right of children to be accompanied in hospital. Marcinkova stated that children in hospitals are being separated from their parents in violation of international regulations and the Constitution. She clarified that she's raised this topic many times. "Today was the fourteenth time in the past four years that I've visited the Health Ministry," she explained. She also expressed appreciation for the fact that Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Hlas-SD) is open to discussion and has been organising round-table discussions on the topic for several weeks. Similar legislation sponsored by Marcinkova was rejected by Parliament last year. mf/df