Ministry to Issue Authorisation for Temporary Operation to Ambulances

       Bratislava, 25 August (TASR) - The Health Ministry will provide the operators of four emergency medical stations, whose licences are expiring at the end of August, with commissioning to operate them on a temporary basis, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) stated on Monday.
        The ministry wants to address the situation after the scrapping of the ambulance service tender and until a definitive form of operation of the ambulance stations is found.
        "I therefore want to assure the people in Slovakia that this temporary solution is ready today. It is ready, fully implemented and will ensure the full functionality of the emergency medical service, exactly as it has been functioning until now," he said.
        Sasko explained that the ministry is obliged under the Constitution to ensure the availability of health care, and at the same time it is the only administrative body authorised to issue administrative decisions. "Thus, from a legal point of view, it isn't a matter of extending the licences of current providers of emergency medical services, but of issuing authorisations for the temporary operation of a particular rescue point. However, from a practical point of view, nothing will change in the operation of the ambulance service," he added.