Prague, Dec 13 (CTK) – New Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech (ANO) will first deal with electronic prescriptions and he has already submitted a draft amendment to the respective law, he told reporters after PM Andrej Babis (ANO) inaugurated him on Wednesday.
Vojtech guaranteed the postponement of fines for not using e-prescriptions by one year if the amendment were not passed by the end of the year.
“I cannot imagine any sanctions if not even all doctors are registered in the system,” Vojtech said.
The system of e-prescribing is not in fully complete, Vojtech admitted.
Doctors have criticised it too, saying it does not bring the promised benefits, such as control of drugs interactions and their duplicity. The law does not enable this yet.
The Health Ministry will have to deal with the law regulating the financial coverage of medical aids, including crutches, wheel chairs and lenses, from public health insurance that the Constitutional Court (US) abolished in June, meeting a proposal by some 20 senators
Vojtech said he would also look into the functioning of hospitals and propose joint purchases to them, for instance.
One of the issues Vojtech has long been speaking about is the measurement of healthcare quality as well as patients’ access to such information.
Both Vojtech and Babis thanked outgoing minister Miloslav Ludvik (Social Democrats, CSSD).
According to Babis, the healthcare sector, which annually consumes some 300 billion crowns, has never been managed well in terms of expenses. However, health insurance companies should participate in its management, too.
The new health minister should also be solving the lack of nurses and cooperate with the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry since both ministries’ agendas overlap in some aspects, Babis said.
