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Think-Tank Awards Government D Grade for Healthcare Policies
Wednesday 19 May 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, May (TASR) - The halting of the transformation of hospitals into joint-stock companies and the abolition of payments to see doctors are among the most detrimental healthcare policies adopted over the past four years, the Health Policy Institute (HPI) think-tank said on Wednesday.
The acquisition of political control over the Healthcare Supervisory Authority (UDZS) was, for its part, the biggest institutional failure during the expiring election term.
According to analyst and member of the SDKU-DS party's team for a dignified life Tomas Szalay, the Government has fulfilled 27 percent of its Manifesto in the healthcare sector. If the Cabinet were evaluated by the school grading system, it would get a "D".
HPI director Peter Pazitny also slammed the Government's move to increase the basic capital of state-run health insurer VsZP and the decision to rid hospitals of debts amounting to €130 million. He labelled the moves poorly worked-out measures that support uneconomical behaviour in the healthcare sector.
In turn, setting the prices of medicines according to their cheapest average prices in six EU countries was the most beneficial move, said the think-tank.
Pazitny also slammed the thorny ambulance tender, which he said is set to have a follow-up soon. The purchase of vaccines against novel flu and the drawing of EU funds also attracted a good deal of criticism from the analysts.
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