As viewers, we are watching events in the political arena, and it is like a soap opera with no end in sight. The only difference is that it affects us and our families, not only emotionally but also physically.
Quarrels, depression and general bad moods in society take away a lot of energy, which is now much needed and demanded. After all, we are facing the biggest crisis since World War II, and it is not only an economic crisis, but one that is affecting people's mental and physical health. We have a lot to deal with, and the fires are being put out as we work. The vaccination system has failed, we are running to fix it, we don't have a law or ordinance, so we will write one quickly. This is a matter for firefighters (mayors, students, volunteers, etc.), not government. This certainly applies to paramedics as well. We have come to the realization that we have a shortage of paramedics, but unfortunately we can't buy them in the store. Overall, the Corona showed what a huge shortage of paramedics we have and that this problem has not been addressed for years.
However, the article talks about the 150,000 foreigners who, although they are residents of Slovakia, work here, live here as a family, pay taxes here, are considered only a tiny percentage of non-citizens, and unfortunately, even those of them who have studied medicine.
Healthcare Professionals in the Health Care Industry
They were missing before the crown, and everyone knew it. Now they are putting their health and their family's well-being on the line, saving lives, but they are hanging in there. We cry out for help from the EU and are grateful to the Romanian medics for coming. We strongly reject those medics from third countries who live in Slovakia and who have an incentive to stay here in the future. The problem is not even European legislation, but simply that we resist it. At the moment there is a package of government measures on the table in the Parliament, which supplements some laws in connection with the second wave of the pandemic. There is also a clause about foreign medical workers from third countries in the form of so-called temporary professional internships. This system of integration of foreign doctors has been in effect in the Czech Republic since 2004. In Slovakia, it was only during the pandemic that we realized that we needed it, but we want it to be valid ONLY during the pandemic + 90 days. After all, why do we need such health workers, i.e. doctors and nurses, after the pandemic is over? We won't need them after the pandemic, and let them go home tired. Perhaps we have enough of our Slovakian doctors, and the voices that we are short of thousands of health workers are probably not true. Is this true?
Approximate approach to interest in health care workers coming from abroad
A pass to the health care system for graduates is the professional exam. It is held twice a year, unless, of course, it is abolished, as it was for nurses in 2020. As many as 15 doctors and 30 dentists took such an exam last week in Kosice. But they are also firefighters for the bureaucratic machine of the Slovak Republic and, in addition to a year's preparation for the exam, went through difficulties crossing the border because they were forgotten about in the exceptions. They had to hastily figure out how to check themselves before the exam, to which they came with a 12-hour first PCR and later with an antigen. They had to come in at 8 o'clock in the morning. These are strong people and professionals, I congratulate them and keep my fingers crossed for the pandemic in Slovakia! But what about the unlucky dentists who fell a few points short on the exam, or the language barrier proved to be the worst in a stressful situation? They paid €1,064 and . should they return home, in most cases to Ukraine, and tell their family that I'm sorry, I wasted my quarterly or annual salary and I can't work there? Temporary internships also do not account for dentists in the proposed changes.
Vaccination for foreigners
Foreigners living in Slovakia who do not have state insurance are not eligible for vaccines and cannot buy them. This raises a big question about insurance for foreigners, and let me remind you, there are up to 150,000 of them in Slovakia. Why don't they have insurance, and what effect would that have on the overall vaccination coverage of the Slovak population? The fact is that the Law on Health Insurance makes it impossible for certain categories of foreigners to participate in the public health insurance system, even if they are allowed to reside in Slovakia. This is hindered by our Slovak legislation, which was created and changed before the pandemic. For example, investors acting as directors of Slovak companies or students and volunteers cannot be insured. From an epidemiological point of view, this is of course nonsense, and I completely agree with Zuzana Števulová, a lawyer and member of the non-parliamentary group of the European Parliament.
The need for an ombudsman for foreigners as an agent of the government is now more obvious than ever. Issues are being raised that affect all of society. There are 10 members of the government in Slovakia, and I believe it is necessary to create such a position for the 150,000 residents of the Slovak Republic who do not yet have a single representative to represent them. The government identified the possibility of creating such an office in its mission statement, and it is in our common interest that it be done during this election period as well. The advantage of a commissioner, among other things, is that he or she brings a different angle to an issue, which gives a different dimension to the issue, and does not preclude the possibility of the state holding the whole agenda. We have a migration policy, and it is the state that should be the initiator of integration strategies and measures that do not drive experts and investors out of our territory.
However, the article talks about the 150,000 foreigners who, although they are residents of Slovakia, work here, live here as a family, pay taxes here, are considered only a tiny percentage of non-citizens, and unfortunately, even those of them who have studied medicine.
Healthcare Professionals in the Health Care Industry
They were missing before the crown, and everyone knew it. Now they are putting their health and their family's well-being on the line, saving lives, but they are hanging in there. We cry out for help from the EU and are grateful to the Romanian medics for coming. We strongly reject those medics from third countries who live in Slovakia and who have an incentive to stay here in the future. The problem is not even European legislation, but simply that we resist it. At the moment there is a package of government measures on the table in the Parliament, which supplements some laws in connection with the second wave of the pandemic. There is also a clause about foreign medical workers from third countries in the form of so-called temporary professional internships. This system of integration of foreign doctors has been in effect in the Czech Republic since 2004. In Slovakia, it was only during the pandemic that we realized that we needed it, but we want it to be valid ONLY during the pandemic + 90 days. After all, why do we need such health workers, i.e. doctors and nurses, after the pandemic is over? We won't need them after the pandemic, and let them go home tired. Perhaps we have enough of our Slovakian doctors, and the voices that we are short of thousands of health workers are probably not true. Is this true?
Approximate approach to interest in health care workers coming from abroad
A pass to the health care system for graduates is the professional exam. It is held twice a year, unless, of course, it is abolished, as it was for nurses in 2020. As many as 15 doctors and 30 dentists took such an exam last week in Kosice. But they are also firefighters for the bureaucratic machine of the Slovak Republic and, in addition to a year's preparation for the exam, went through difficulties crossing the border because they were forgotten about in the exceptions. They had to hastily figure out how to check themselves before the exam, to which they came with a 12-hour first PCR and later with an antigen. They had to come in at 8 o'clock in the morning. These are strong people and professionals, I congratulate them and keep my fingers crossed for the pandemic in Slovakia! But what about the unlucky dentists who fell a few points short on the exam, or the language barrier proved to be the worst in a stressful situation? They paid €1,064 and . should they return home, in most cases to Ukraine, and tell their family that I'm sorry, I wasted my quarterly or annual salary and I can't work there? Temporary internships also do not account for dentists in the proposed changes.
Vaccination for foreigners
Foreigners living in Slovakia who do not have state insurance are not eligible for vaccines and cannot buy them. This raises a big question about insurance for foreigners, and let me remind you, there are up to 150,000 of them in Slovakia. Why don't they have insurance, and what effect would that have on the overall vaccination coverage of the Slovak population? The fact is that the Law on Health Insurance makes it impossible for certain categories of foreigners to participate in the public health insurance system, even if they are allowed to reside in Slovakia. This is hindered by our Slovak legislation, which was created and changed before the pandemic. For example, investors acting as directors of Slovak companies or students and volunteers cannot be insured. From an epidemiological point of view, this is of course nonsense, and I completely agree with Zuzana Števulová, a lawyer and member of the non-parliamentary group of the European Parliament.
The need for an ombudsman for foreigners as an agent of the government is now more obvious than ever. Issues are being raised that affect all of society. There are 10 members of the government in Slovakia, and I believe it is necessary to create such a position for the 150,000 residents of the Slovak Republic who do not yet have a single representative to represent them. The government identified the possibility of creating such an office in its mission statement, and it is in our common interest that it be done during this election period as well. The advantage of a commissioner, among other things, is that he or she brings a different angle to an issue, which gives a different dimension to the issue, and does not preclude the possibility of the state holding the whole agenda. We have a migration policy, and it is the state that should be the initiator of integration strategies and measures that do not drive experts and investors out of our territory.
Current articles by Alona Kurotova are also available at dennikn.sk