BRATISLAVA, December 16, (WEBNOVINY)- The Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ) has canceled strike alert on Friday, informed its head Marian Kollar. The LOZ decided to do so after President Ivan Gasparovic has signed the amendment to the law on health care providers that fulfills demands of hospital doctors who announced strike alert after the implementation of their demands into legislation was endangered. “The president’s signature on health laws puts the full stop after one phase of LOZ efforts to improve the status of Slovak patients and the situation of the Slovak health care. We would like to announce to the Slovak public that LOZ is ending strike alert today,” said LOZ chairman.
Kollar believes that the use of last-resort tools for which trade unionists allegedly were forced to reach by ignorance of representatives of the government will not repeat again. “Despite the fact that the Slovak government cheated us we achieved indisputable successes in pushing through the health legislation that will be definitively helpful to Slovak health care,” suggested Kollar. Partial adjustments of the Labor Code will not help doctors to perform their profession in more dignified conditions but will help patients who will be protected from mistakes that might be caused by exhausted health staff, he elaborated. “The symbolical pay hike will help doctors-beginners in order that they do not have to spend years of their medical practice at boarding houses as, having low incomes they are not attractive partners for financial institutions,“ stated Kollar.
The president’s signature has definitely ended the crisis in the Slovak health care system. The crisis started in late September when over 2,400 doctors tendered notices to their employers. Later, a half of the protesting doctors withdrew the notices. As the unionists turned down the government’s proposal to resolve their requirements and the notice period ended, the government declared a state of emergency in some hospitals to ensure continued health care. In the end, the government and unionists signed a joint memorandum. Problems arose in implementation of the memorandum into legislation. Unionists were not satisfied and declared strike alert, saying they would wait until the revised law comes into force.
SITA