Cislak's Criminal Complaint Now in Hands of Police

Bratislava, February 29 (TASR) – A criminal complaint filed by Health Minister Viliam Cislak for spreading a false alarm in connection with nurses’ statements about the danger to health care is already being investigated by the police, TASR learnt from Michal Surek of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Bratislava on Monday.

The complaint was originally filed at the Prosecutor-General’s Office. “The above criminal complaint was delivered to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office on February 11, 2016. On February 12, 2016, the complaint was passed on by a prosecutor of the regional prosecutor’s office for further proceedings, based on the subject matter … to Bratislava I District Prosecutor’s Office. On February 18, 2016 a prosecutor of the district prosecutor’s office passed on the criminal complaint to be dealt with by the police,” said Surek.

Cislak said that he intended to file the criminal complaint on February 1 of this year. Against the background of nurses’ mass resignations in protest at conditions in the health-care sector, he took offence to assertions by their professional chamber and trade union concerning a threat to health care for over one million patients. Cislak declared that health care would be ensured despite the resignations.

“I filed the criminal complaint for spreading a false alarm against all those who had been disseminating this information over the past five days,” said Cislak at that time.

Nurses and Midwives Union boss Monika Kavecka repeatedly pointed to the threat to health care at the time. The criminal complaint mentions several statements made by her.