The healthcare crisis is far from over despite the breakthrough on Friday when the doctors trade union LOZ agreed with the government that doctors would return to work subject to certain demands being put into legislation.
The situation up and down the country is mixed, with some doctors returning to work already, while others are refusing to sign the addenda to their employment contracts, staying on the sick or deciding to leave their jobs altogether. Health minister Ivan Uhliarik says everything now depends on the protesting doctors as nothing stands in the way of them returning to their posts.
At a press conference today, the health minister made a plea to doctors: “All doctors, also considering the state of emergency, should be at their workplace, and so I call on them to come to work. We have done everything on our side and I expect the doctors union LOZ will not prolong the situation”, pointing to how the contracts with the doctors had been prepared in line with the agreement so no change would be needed.
Head of LOZ, Marian Kollar, is still hesitant, though, saying the contracts do not contain certain provisions from the agreed Memorandum and that their own lawyers would draft their version of the contracts. All going well, not guaranteed, the state of emergency imposed by the government to deal with the crisis could be revoked already on Wednesday of this week.