Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian (V4) doctors plan joint protest

Prague, Sept 25 (CTK) - Doctors from the Visegrad Four (V4) countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, plan a joint symbolical protest, which will not afflict patients, in the other half of November, Czech Doctors' Unions (LOK) chairman Martin Engel has told CTK.

However, if the stances of the V4 countries' governments did not change, doctors from Slovakia, Poland and Hungary would join the protest of Czech health care workers next year. It will be more resolute to make politicians react to it, Engel added.

"This is the first step only, a warning for them not to make a fool of us and to fulfil their commitments," Engel said about the November symbolic protest without elaborating.

He only noted that all V4 countries or at least some of them might take part in the stronger protest planned in 2013.

During the previous symbolic protests health care union members were wearing bands on their working outfits, they were spreading leaflets in hospitals explaining their arguments and staged meetings.

However, patients could feel the consequences of stronger protests of health care workers as hospitals operates like at the weekends, postponed planned surgeries and provides only acute treatments over the lack of personnel.

According to an analysis of the Association of Czech Hospitals, health care in V4 countries does not meet the EU-15 perametres in health care expenditures and health indicators.

The Czech Republic allocates 6.8 percent of GDP to health care, Poland and Hungary earmark 7.4 percent of GDP each and Slovakia 7.8 percent. The EU average is 9.7 percent.

A total of 43,700 hospital doctors work in the 10.5-million Czech Republic. In state hospitals, they earn 57,687 crowns a month, compared to the national average monthly gross pay of some 24,000 crowns.

In the five-million Slovakia, 5334 doctors work in hospitals and their average salary is an equivalent of 37,600 crowns.

Except for the Czech Republic, inhabitants of the V4 countries are allegedly dissatisfied with their health care. Health care workers are not satisfied with their pay level in all four countries and they seek jobs abroad.