The government has approved the reform of ambulance services. A new helpline for non-emergency conditions will be created, relieving the burden on the 155

Huliak a member of the drug policy council

On Wednesday, the Government Cabinet appointed Minister of Tourism and Sport Rudolf Huliak (nominated by Smer-SD) as a member of the Slovak Government Council for Drug Policy. At the same time, the cabinet dismissed Dušan Keketi (SNS nominee) from his post.

"My priority is to protect our society from the negative consequences of drugs and to ensure that young people have enough information and support to choose a healthy lifestyle," Huliak said.

The Government Council for Drug Policy is an advisory, coordinating, initiating and controlling body of the government in matters of the government's drug policy in the public interest.

New helpline

A new helpline is to be established in Slovakia under the competence of the Operational Centre of the Slovak Emergency Medical Service (OS ZZS). It is to be used for non-emergency situations in order to relieve the burden on the 155 emergency line. New types of rescue crews are also to be created, which will be associated with new indication criteria for filtering calls.

The proposal for a new helpline is justified by the fact that 20 per cent of incidents reported to 155 are assessed as not requiring an ambulance call.

The new feature is to be a hybrid ambulance crew, where a crew with a doctor operates during the day and without a doctor during the night. An ambulance crew with a specialist paramedic who has enhanced competences is also to be introduced. A specialised transport ambulance is also to be established for planned minor inter-clinic transports and selected primary calls. An ambulance service with paediatric mobile intensive care unit facilities is also being introduced, which will be operated by the terminal children's hospitals. A new type of ambulance service will also be introduced.

New kindergarten capacities for municipalities

New kindergarten capacities are to be built in villages with an acute situation. The aim is to ensure that compulsory pre-primary education can be fully implemented and that the legal right to a place in a kindergarten can be exercised.

According to the Ministry, the intention is to contribute to better integration of pupils from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and better educational results, as well as to increase the participation of legal representatives, specifically mothers, in the labour market. The proposal was submitted by the Ministry with the aim of accelerating the disbursement of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and meeting the set targets.

Transfer to hospitals

In 2025, the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic will provide the Central Military Hospital SNP Ružomberok - University Hospital and the University Hospital with Polyclinic J. A. Reiman Prešov for a total transfer of EUR 96 000 000.

"These funds will be used to ensure the normal operation of the hospitals, the purchase of medical machinery and equipment, as well as the modernisation and reconstruction of the hospitals' facilities. At the same time, the funds will also be used for the strategic investment Development and modernisation of the University Hospital with polyclinic J. A. Reiman Prešov," the defence ministry explained.

Plenipotentiary for the battery factory

Roman Sabo, former managing director of the state-owned company MH Invest, has become the Slovak government's plenipotentiary for a major investment by Gotion InoBat Batteries (GIB) EnergyX Slovakia. The company is to build a gigafactory near Šurany for the production of batteries for electric vehicles for more than a billion euros.

The plenipotentiary is to ensure the coordination of tasks in the implementation of the investment, but he will also have the right to submit draft materials relating to it to the government. Together with the proposal for the appointment of the Commissioner, the government also approved the Commissioner's Statute, which regulates the areas of his competence and the main tasks to be performed by him.

The Plenipotentiary is proposed by the Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic and will be accountable to the Government of the Slovak Republic for his/her activities.