Members of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic approved the legislation on Wednesday, which is part of an agreement with the Medical Trade Union (LOZ). 79 of the 141 deputies present voted in favor. They discussed the edit for a shortened legislative procedure. By adopting laws, medical unionists at the end of last year conditioned the withdrawal of mass statements.
According to the agreement with trade unionists, the changes relate to the valorisation of the salaries of doctors, the enactment of personnel norms in hospitals or shortening the working hours of medical staff in hospitals. The obligations of health insurance companies or the Office for Surveillance of Health Care (ÚDZS) will also be adjusted.
The new legislation brings to the release of criminal penalties in the breach of the obligations arising from the law at the time of the emergency situation. The critical unavailability of institutional health care after the new one will no longer be included among the extraordinary events.
The adjustment of the scope of working time of healthcare professionals working in institutional health care facilities is also introduced. “So that for all these healthcare professionals who work in the continuous provision of healthcare, Regardless of the specific way of laying out their working time, working hours may be appointed to the extent of the employee’s working time in continuous operation, “the explanatory memorandum says.
Newly, reduced basic wage components for 2025 and 2026 will also be deleted. Thus, there will be an increase in wages of 9.66 percent per 2025 for all healthcare professionals with effect from 1 March 2025 and wage increase of 6.44 percent per 2026 for all for all healthcare professionals. Changes should ensure increasing the salaries of doctors according to their original condition before consolidation.
The exception is doctors who work less than half the job and at the same time work with another healthcare provider except for hospitals and ambulances. Likewise, if they are a statutory body of a healthcare provider other than a provider of institutional health care.
The Ministry of Health should also regulate the minimum requirements for personnel provision of individual types of constitutional health facilities. After a new one, PSA is to be published on its website within 30 days of their delivery by health insurance companies data on the reimbursement of DRG.
The proposal will be effective on the day of the declaration in the Collection of Laws of the Slovak Republic, in addition to the provisions related to the adjustment of the basic component of the wage of doctors and dentists, which would be effective from 1 March 2025. The adjustment of the minimum requirements for personnel provision of individual types of constitutional health facilities should be effective from 1 January 2026.
The set of health legislation is based on a contract on the establishment of social reconciliation in health care, which in December 2024 signed by the Minister of Health Kamil Šaško (Voice-SD) with LOZ. The government has committed itself to meeting several requirements of medical trade unionists. By concluding the contract, the collapse of hospitals, which threatened more than 3300 doctors, was prevented. Doctors returned to hospitals conditionally, saying that by the end of February 2025 the laws will be adopted by agreement. Otherwise, they were to leave the hospitals in March.
