BRATISLAVA, August 23, (WEBNOVINY) — The Medical Trade Unions Association (LOZ) will start collecting notices from physicians who agreed to this form of protest as of August 25 of this year, head of the association Marian Kollar said at a press briefing on Tuesday. To date, 3,827 physicians from 51 hospitals have signed a declaration of readiness to submit a notice to their employers. Kollar believes that all these physicians will actually be prepared to file a notice. The Medical Trade Unions Association will organize handing in the physicians’ notices, which Kollar believes could take place in October.
The Medical Trade Unions Association has four requirements: to observe the Labor Code, change the system of health care funding, stop transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies and increase wages of health care employees. As Kollar pointed out earlier, the doctors perceive all their requirements as a complex. They will be satisfied only if the Health Ministry fulfills all of their demands.
Trade unionists have discussed their requirements with Health Minister Ivan Uhliarik. The requirement for halting transformation of hospitals is the main stumbling block as the minister insists on transformation of state-run hospitals into joint-stock companies. He wants to persuade trade unionists of advantages of transformed hospitals personally and invited them to visit such institutions with him.