PS, KDH and 'Slovakia' Parties Collecting Signatures to Oust Dolinkova

       Bratislava, April 29 (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS), Christian Democrats (KDH) and 'Slovakia' parties are jointly collecting signatures to file a no-confidence motion in Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD) from her post, party representatives told a press conference on Monday, adding that the signatures could be handed in within a week.
        They see several reasons for the minister's ouster, in particular the threat to EU funds and the "non-transparent" decision in connection with the construction of a university hospital in the Razsochy area in Bratislava.
        "Now they are promising us that a new university hospital will be built in Bratislava in 14 years in a totally inappropriate location," stressed MP Marek Krajci ('Slovakia', KU, For the People caucus), commenting on the decision that the university hospital should eventually be built in the Bratislava borough of Ruzinov. He pointed out that in the new location they will have to address issues such as expert opinions and land settlement anew, while in Razsochy several issues have already been completed.
        Together with Peter Stachura (KDH) and Oskar Dvorak (PS), they pointed out that the project in Ruzinov lacks complexity, an education centre and a science park. They think that such a hospital should also be a place for medical education and research.
        In addition, they mentioned the threat to the funding from the recovery plan. "During the tenure of Minister Dolinkova at the helm of the Health Ministry, we have seen several unprofessional decisions, blatant favouring of private Agel Cardio Centre and Bory Hospital in their moving to a higher category, and the well-known amendment to the contract for the hospital in Spisska Nova Ves [Kosice region]," stated Stachura.
        Minister Dolinkova stated at the end of last week that she wants to present the entire project of a university hospital in Bratislava to the public after it is approved by the government, rejecting the distortion of facts by the opposition.
        Meanwhile, the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party responded that it won't support the convening of a parliamentary meeting with a no-confidence vote in Dolinkova, explaining that some of the opposition politicians are also responsible for some of the problems for which they want to dismiss the minister. For example, the party pointed to the delay of projects from the recovery plan under Igor Matovic's government. SaS also claims that the main reason why MPs for KDH and the 'Slovakia' party want to dismiss the minister is because of their fight for a state-run health-care system and their fight against access to abortion.
        SaS also declared it might vote for the minister's possible dismissal in Parliament, because it believes there are reasons for that. It criticised her, for example, for the changes in the management of hospitals and the state-owned health insurer VsZP. "It should be made clear that Ms. Dolinkova isn't one of the most capable health ministers, that we expected much more from her and that she had the means to do so," MP Jana Bitto Ciganikova (SaS) said at a press conference on Monday.
       In connection with the opposition's initiative to oust her, Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova (Voice-SD) speaks about "miserable politicking" and desperation of MPs Marek Krajci ('Slovakia', KU, For the People caucus) and Oskar Dvorak (Progressive Slovakia/PS), adding that this is also indicated by an expert view of another opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), TASR learnt from ministry's communication department on Monday.
        According to Dolinkova, the Razsochy hospital is a failure of the governments of both Eduard Heger and Ludovit Odor, for whom MPs Dvorak and Krajci worked. "We remember how then Prime Minister Eduard Heger lied publicly about how the milestones of the Recovery and Resilience Plan were being met in the construction of Razsochy hospital. I had to act immediately on this flagrant failure by these gentlemen and sought the best and most effective solution," stated the minister, adding that she'll wait for the government's decision and then appear before the public and correctly inform about the project of a new university hospital in Bratislava.