Up to 30 percent of patients with multiple sclerosis (SM) do not have access to professional outpatient clinics, most concerned about central and eastern Slovakia. This stems from the analysis of the Institute of Health Analyzes at the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic. According to her, more than 9300 patients with this disease lived in Slovakia at the end of 2022. It most often affects young people of working age, with almost three quarters of patients being women.
The analysis also showed regional differences in incidence and treatment. The highest prevalence is in the Trenčín and Žilina regions, the lowest in Košice. According to experts, this may be due to the different incidence of the disease, but also in an unequal approach to diagnosis and specialized care. They therefore recommend creating full -fledged SM centers across regions with available diagnostics and modern therapeutic procedures.
It is important for the Slovak Multiple Sclerosis Association (SZSM) that the centers have the status of a specialized workplace. “To be there all that patients with multiple sclerosis need – rehabilitation, psychologist, nutritional and dietary advice for patients and of course a doctor who has enough time for the patient and his questions,” The president of SZSM Jarmila Fajnorová approached.
According to neurologist Darina Slezáková from II. The Neurology Clinic of the University Hospital Bratislava is a treatment available and fully covered by public health insurance in Slovakia. He points out, however, that The upcoming change in the system of reimbursement of medicines could limit the availability of new medicines.
“We know from our practice that the treatment of multiple sclerosis is one of the more expensive ones. On the other hand, we are talking about 450 newly diagnosed patients a year who, thanks to being treated, remain in employment for decades,” Vlastimil Serdahely stated the head of neurology in the Bratislava hospital. In his words, it would be beneficial in this respect if the social and health system were better connected.
