Crisis in Slovakian healthcare system as doctors plan mass resignation

Slovakia's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse as over 3,000 doctors plan to resign on New Year's Eve. The mass walkout is fueled by frustrations over pay, working conditions, and government inaction.

Dr. Martin Zakucia, a representative of the Doctors' Trade Union, said doctors are demanding better funding and reforms to improve healthcare.

"The basic problem is that we see the money in the healthcare system is divided wrongly or in a way we don't like," Zakucia said. "We would like the state to pay more money to hospitals so the hospitals can then deliver better health care."

Doctors accuse the government of breaking a 2022 agreement. The deal, a 13-point memorandum, promised higher wages, improved training, and better hospital conditions. But many of those promises remain unfulfilled, said healthcare economist Martin Smetana.

"I really hope we won't come to this point because this will end when the first patient dies who didn't have to die," Smetana said. "All the government, the ministry, and the unions need is to find a compromise. And they need to write up a new memorandum."

Public hospitals in Slovakia are struggling with staff shortages. Almost 20 percent of new medical graduates leave the country for better pay and conditions abroad. Though the government recently approved a wage boost for nurses, doctors say the 6.4 percent raise offered to them falls short of the 9.7 percent promised in 2022.

"They broke the deal. And we want the deal back," Zakucia said. "We had the press conference with the president of the republic when it was signed, with all the important stakeholders in healthcare. Everyone said the law was good because it was stable."

Stalled negotiations

Government officials argue that cost-cutting measures are necessary to meet EU budget rules. However, doctors say the issue goes beyond pay. Many cite outdated equipment and deteriorating hospital conditions as reasons for their discontent. Meanwhile, the public remains caught in the middle.

"I support the doctors because healthcare in Slovakia is in bad shape," said one patient. "We have few beds, old equipment, and long waiting times. After returning to Slovakia after 19 years abroad, I was shocked by how bad it was."

Negotiations between the government and doctors' union have stalled. Adding to tensions, the government introduced a bill threatening doctors with prison time for participating in walkouts.

If the resignations proceed, more than half of the 6,000 doctors employed in Slovakia's hospitals will be out of work. The public now faces growing uncertainty as healthcare workers demand meaningful reforms.