The Ministry of Health has not granted the requests by the Fides medical union to confirm immediately the standards and norms published in the so-called Blue book, and to raise doctors' salaries. Thus a one-day strike of doctors will be staged on Thursday.

"The purpose of the strike is to encourage the government to start introducing reforms. In the opposite case Slovenia will regress," said the head of Fides Konrad Kuštrin at the occasion of presentation of the circular in which the reasons for the strike are explained in detail.

According to Konrad Kuštrin, presently the average doctor salary amounts to 1.98 average Slovenian salary; it should increase by approximately 40%."The average doctor salary has diminished from 2.7 to 1.98 average Slovenian salary, which means that the salary a trainee specialist gets equals two salaries of an unqualified worker," Kuštrin explained.

Although being aware of the crisis he fails to understand the manner of solving the crisis, and where does all the money go. He does not expect doctor salaries to be raised immediately. Fides is also willing to explain where the funds could be found, i.e. where additional savings are possible which could be channelled into doctor salaries.

"In the coming months we will be persuading patients that we are right, and that we are their allies," Kuštrin said, emphasizing the reform role of the Fides union. They are shifting the blame for the strike to the Ministry of Health.

Doctors have to treat urgent cases
Also during a strike doctors have to treat urgent cases, according to the law on medical service, i.e. pregnant women and birthing mothers, children and juveniles up to 18 years of age, and people older than 65 years. The strike will follow the rules written before the strike in 1996 which lasted three weeks. Fides reminded that nothing bad happened to any of the patients at that occasion.

Gregor Cerar, MMC
Translated by G. K.