Czech military doctors sent as reinforcements to Slovak hospitals

Since Saturday, a group of Czech military doctors have been helping out in hospitals in neighbouring Slovakia where hundreds of doctors walked out over low wages. Last Wednesday the resignations of 1,200 doctors (of an overall 7,000) came into force, leaving four of the country’s hospitals in critical condition and another sixteen in jeopardy. Even though the Slovak government has now agreed to meet doctors’ demands, the Czech team is staying on until conditions return to normal.

Leoš Heger

Only hours after the Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová and the Czech Health Minister Leoš Heger signed a bilateral agreement, two buses carrying Czech military specialists, including surgeons, anaesthesiologists, traumatologists and X-ray specialists from Prague, Pilsen and Hradec Králové arrived in the Slovak capital Bratislava on Saturday. Twelve of those deployed in Bratislava went straight on a night shift in the city’s largest hospital.

“I hope they will do good work here and I also hope that their work won’t be needed for too long,” the Czech Health Minister Leoš Heger commented on what he called ‘humanitarian aid’.

Marián Kollár (in the center), photo: CTK

That expression was dismissed by the head of the Slovak doctors’ labour union Marián Kollár. He even compared the arrival of Czech doctors to the 1968 occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops, criticizing the Slovak government for using taxpayers’ money to pay foreign doctors rather than solving the crisis at home. Otherwise the labour unions described the protest as successful, having negotiated a hike in salaries: the starting salary of a fresh graduate should reach 950 euro while experienced doctors should earn around 1700 euro a month.

Even though the labour dispute has now been settled, things are far from normal. The 1,200 doctors who had resigned are expected to sign their new contracts on Monday or Tuesday but labour unions advise them to consult their lawyers first which might slow down their return. Therefore it is not yet clear how long the Czech military doctors, sent after no Czech civilian doctor responded to the Slovak government’s appeal for help, will be needed. Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Jan Pejšek:

Photo: CTK

“At the moment, our doctors’ mandate has been approved until the end of the month. It is quite possible that they will return earlier. All depends on the needs of the Slovak side.”

No one knows whether the Czech specialists will be home for Christmas. As Czech Television reported, if the 29 doctors stay for a month, it will cost the Defence Ministry 2.5 million crowns.