Slovak Health Minister Dolinková survives no-confidence vote [Advocacy Lab Content]

Slovakia is facing political turmoil focused on health minister, Zuzana Dolinková. She survived her first no-confidence vote on 14 May, after only seven months in office. The culture minister also faced a recall in back-to-back votes.

The opposition needed at least 76 votes to recall the ministers. The coalition, however, holds a majority with 79 MPs in the 150-seat Parliament. Both votes failed, with 78 voting against the motion and 64 voting in favour.

“This was an embarrassing political theatre by the opposition. The reasons for the recall had no rationale. (…) I will continue to work diligently on all the issues troubling Slovak healthcare,” said Minister Dolinková at a press conference after the vote.

Reasons for recall

The initiators, Peter Stachura (KDH/EPP), Oskar Dvořák (PS/Renew), and Marek Krajčí (Slovensko/EPP), collected the 30 signatures necessary to trigger the vote of no-confidence.

In a special session, opposition MPs criticised Dolinková’s inaction in addressing acute healthcare problems, inadequate communication, and chaotic management.

The opposition also warned about jeopardising funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan and cancelling the construction of the university hospital in Bratislava’s Rázsochy area.

Another issue of debate was the participation of MP Peter Kotlár (SNS/ID) in the Slovak delegation in Geneva for the negotiations of the pandemic treaty.

Kotlár is leading the pandemic management investigation and is known for his anti-vaccination stance. He is reputed for his strong opposition to the pandemic accord, repeatedly calling it a violation of human rights and the sovereignty of member states.

According to Movement Slovakia, Minister Dolinková has been making decisions that do not favour Slovak healthcare and do not benefit patients but rather oligarchs and interest groups.

“All these reasons are absurd,” health minister Dolinková said at the end of the special session.

The proposal to dismiss Dolinková was signed by the opposition MPs from PS, KDH, and the Slovensko movement. Legislators from the opposition party SaS did not sign the proposal but voted for her dismissal and criticised her during the special session.

Reactions after the vote

“Minister Dolinková remains in her post, but along with her, the acute problems in our healthcare system persist. Therefore, on behalf of patients, I will continuously inquire about how she plans to deal with the shortage of nurses and paediatricians or how she intends to address the rising fees in out-patient clinics,” MP Oskar Dvořák told Euractiv after the vote.

“I firmly hope that the minister will not gamble with our funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan with her future decisions. It’s eight months after the elections, patients are not interested in excuses; it’s time to truly start working. Patients should not have to lie in mouldy hospitals, and healthcare professionals should no longer seek to work abroad,” he added.

Former health minister Marek Krajčí shared his thoughts with a press release after the vote: “The minister is not here for show, to take photos or to cut ribbons at private events. She is like a ‘Barbie doll’ in the hands of oligarchs.”

Krajčí added: “The pinnacle of her tenure so far is the halting of the already prepared construction of the University Hospital in Rázsochy. That is why we voted for her dismissal, and we believe that healthcare should be led by someone who acts in the interest of patients and Slovakia.”

MP Peter Stachura told Euractiv: “Healthcare in Slovakia is gradually becoming less solidarity-oriented, and more and more people are experiencing difficulties in accessing timely medical care, not to mention the quality of services provided. With the arrival of the new political leadership, we expected significant systemic changes and the beginning of addressing the accumulated problems.”

Few legislative proposals

Stachura criticises that after seven months in office, the minister has presented only a minimum of legislative proposals to parliament and even those in expedited legislative proceedings.

“This seriously undermines our confidence in whether the minister is sufficiently prepared to lead this demanding ministry. At the same time, there are legitimate concerns about whether we can effectively and timely utilise the funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan,” said Stachura.

Stachura added: “Therefore, the decision of coalition MPs to support Minister Dolinková in office is disappointing and, at the same time, a political responsibility of those who cannot appoint a more competent person to this position.”

“This trio wrecked the Slovak healthcare system over the past three and a half years,” responded Minister Dolinková to the initiators of her recall vote.

[By Filip Áč, Edited by Vasiliki Angouridi, Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab]

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