QUALITY OF LIFE AS THE OUTCOME OF A COHENSIVE SOCIETY
The Government, asa government of certainties for citizens, believes that cohesion of Slovak citizens is central to maintaining the stability and improving the quality of their lives. Social cohesion is conditional on the coherence of all classes of society and on combining a balanced economic policy with a social policy. This predetermines sustainable growth of the quality of people’s lives that can be achieved by encouraging education, research, and development of innovation, and by creating a modern infrastructure necessary for economic and social development. When assessing the quality of life of individuals and society, it is not only the material standard of living that must be taken into account, but also health, education, the sum of an individual’s activities, including work, opportunities for political and civic engagement, the impact of government measures, interpersonal relations and social contacts, certainty or, conversely, uncertainty in economic and personal terms, and the quality of the environment. All of this is proportionally evolving in society that integrates a knowledge-based social model into its development.
The recent years have seen a collapse of the public health system, a decline in real wages, an increase in unemployment, unsolved problems associated with long-term unemployment, poor protection of employees, chaos in policies affecting older people and in social services, and a disorganised course of action by state administration bodies and local government in terms of social policy, with social dialogue coming apart as well. The entire social system was exposed to uncontrolled experimenting with the most vulnerable groups, and poverty has grown both in economically weak regions and in other areas as well. The system was destroyed, undermining the trust of citizens in the state’s ability to help them handle difficult life situations.
The Government will establish a stable social policy framework of certainties for people, focusing in particular on the following key areas:
- the care of people’s health in society, a role which is to be resolutely taken up by a revitalised and stabilised public healthcare system;
- the family as the basic building block determining the quality of life and certainties for citizens;
- a solution to long-term unemployment using advanced programmes to pave the way for better access to employment for disadvantaged groups in the labour market;
- reinforcing activation schemes for unemployed young people, low-qualified people, including counselling, intensive retraining, subsidised employment and grants for start-up entrepreneurs;
- improving the quality of life of the elderly as a comprehensive issue that will enhance cohesion in society.
The Government will revive the policy of economic, social and territorial cohesion as a key element for the development of human potential in Slovakia with a view to making it a stable, modern and competitive country.
The Government will make every effort to ensure that the adopted decisive measures win the support of the majority of the population. Prior to their implementation, a broad professional discussion will be launched to reach a social and political consensus. The representatives of social partners will also have their say in the process. To that end, an effective social dialogue will be started, and one of its outcomes must be to increase the share of employees covered by collective agreements. Therefore, the Collective Bargaining Act will be amended to help clear the way for imposing and extending higher level collective agreements to other employers. The Government sees the minimum wage as a particularly important instrument in creating a climate that would increase the interest of marginalised groups of population in finding a job. The Government will therefore consider adjusting, within the limits of public finances, the minimum wage indexation in relation to the average wage and the subsistence minimum.
Family – the basic building block determining the quality of life
As the basic structural component of human society, the family has gone through substantial changes over the past twenty years. The necessity to have a paid job is in conflict with family life, and it is for this reason that the family structure in Slovakia has changed dramatically and a new pattern of family behaviour has emerged. The number of marriages is dropping, the number of divorces is increasing, as have the age of married couples; there was a slump in birth and fertility rates, but the number of abortions dwindled significantly. There was an increase in births outside marriage, the ageing process of the population has begun, people started reverting to multi-generational living where several families share one apartment or house, there was a shift towards a unified family model, and there were less sibling relationships. All of this has manifested itself by negating the importance of the one and only type of family accepted by Slovak society so far, i.e., the traditional bond between a married couple. The effects brought by a post-modern era of advanced societies, coupled with the growing requirements of time-intensive paid work and the increasing participation of women in the labour market, have been neglected. This distorts the historical relationship between the paid economy and the care sector, which is typical of the industrial domain. The cohesion of society and its important determining factor – the family – has been disrupted. The knowledge-based social model for the development of society presumes that civil society, including churches, will play an important role. The market pressure affecting family life gives rise to more diversified family models. In order to prevent the emergence of deprived families, more flexible support for families is necessary.
The Government will therefore ensure that:
- the family policy becomes the focal point of the state’s social policy;
- the fundamental principle of the Act on Family, which stipulates that marriage is a unique bond between a man and a woman which must be protected and supported by society, is consistently applied;
- the balance between the economic and social function of the family is restored; along with this objective, financial literacy will be encouraged;
- the natural equilibrium in the reproduction of the population is restored.
In the area of family policy, the Government will:
- prepare the new Strategy of State Family Policy of the Slovak Republic until 2020 to define strategic objectives, principles and measures for its implementation in order to revitalise family life and substantially renew its social function;
- review the labour and family law to ensure that the need for a balanced relationship between the economic and social function of the family, the duties of public institutions, the role of employers and the position of civic associations is more widely accepted;
- support outreach measures with a view to stabilising the situation in socially marginalised families;
- support the protection of minors to ensure the widest possible application of the principle by which every child should be raised in a natural, family environment from its birth;
- avoid the placement of children in institutional care, which should be the solution of last resort; therefore, the procedural rules and family law will be revisited in particular with regard to the chapters concerning the placement of children in foster care;
- more vigorously promote, in all legislative proposals, the principle of gender equality, strengthen the respective institutional framework and systematically monitor its development.
Work – the source of quality of life for citizens and society
The recent years have seen a collapse of the public health system, a decline in real wages, an increase in unemployment, unsolved problems associated with long-term unemployment, poor protection of employees, chaos in policies affecting older people and in social services, and a disorganised course of action by state administration bodies and local government in terms of social policy, with social dialogue coming apart as well. The entire social system was exposed to uncontrolled experimenting with the most vulnerable groups, and poverty has grown both in economically weak regions and in other areas as well. The system was destroyed, undermining the trust of citizens in the state’s ability to help them handle difficult life situations.
The Government will establish a stable social policy framework of certainties for people, focusing in particular on the following key areas:
- the care of people’s health in society, a role which is to be resolutely taken up by a revitalised and stabilised public healthcare system;
- the family as the basic building block determining the quality of life and certainties for citizens;
- a solution to long-term unemployment using advanced programmes to pave the way for better access to employment for disadvantaged groups in the labour market;
- reinforcing activation schemes for unemployed young people, low-qualified people, including counselling, intensive retraining, subsidised employment and grants for start-up entrepreneurs;
- improving the quality of life of the elderly as a comprehensive issue that will enhance cohesion in society.
The Government will revive the policy of economic, social and territorial cohesion as a key element for the development of human potential in Slovakia with a view to making it a stable, modern and competitive country.
The Government will make every effort to ensure that the adopted decisive measures win the support of the majority of the population. Prior to their implementation, a broad professional discussion will be launched to reach a social and political consensus. The representatives of social partners will also have their say in the process. To that end, an effective social dialogue will be started, and one of its outcomes must be to increase the share of employees covered by collective agreements. Therefore, the Collective Bargaining Act will be amended to help clear the way for imposing and extending higher level collective agreements to other employers. The Government sees the minimum wage as a particularly important instrument in creating a climate that would increase the interest of marginalised groups of population in finding a job. The Government will therefore consider adjusting, within the limits of public finances, the minimum wage indexation in relation to the average wage and the subsistence minimum.
Family – the basic building block determining the quality of life
As the basic structural component of human society, the family has gone through substantial changes over the past twenty years. The necessity to have a paid job is in conflict with family life, and it is for this reason that the family structure in Slovakia has changed dramatically and a new pattern of family behaviour has emerged. The number of marriages is dropping, the number of divorces is increasing, as have the age of married couples; there was a slump in birth and fertility rates, but the number of abortions dwindled significantly. There was an increase in births outside marriage, the ageing process of the population has begun, people started reverting to multi-generational living where several families share one apartment or house, there was a shift towards a unified family model, and there were less sibling relationships. All of this has manifested itself by negating the importance of the one and only type of family accepted by Slovak society so far, i.e., the traditional bond between a married couple. The effects brought by a post-modern era of advanced societies, coupled with the growing requirements of time-intensive paid work and the increasing participation of women in the labour market, have been neglected. This distorts the historical relationship between the paid economy and the care sector, which is typical of the industrial domain. The cohesion of society and its important determining factor – the family – has been disrupted. The knowledge-based social model for the development of society presumes that civil society, including churches, will play an important role. The market pressure affecting family life gives rise to more diversified family models. In order to prevent the emergence of deprived families, more flexible support for families is necessary.
The Government will therefore ensure that:
- the family policy becomes the focal point of the state’s social policy;
- the fundamental principle of the Act on Family, which stipulates that marriage is a unique bond between a man and a woman which must be protected and supported by society, is consistently applied;
- the balance between the economic and social function of the family is restored; along with this objective, financial literacy will be encouraged;
- the natural equilibrium in the reproduction of the population is restored.
In the area of family policy, the Government will:
- prepare the new Strategy of State Family Policy of the Slovak Republic until 2020 to define strategic objectives, principles and measures for its implementation in order to revitalise family life and substantially renew its social function;
- review the labour and family law to ensure that the need for a balanced relationship between the economic and social function of the family, the duties of public institutions, the role of employers and the position of civic associations is more widely accepted;
- support outreach measures with a view to stabilising the situation in socially marginalised families;
- support the protection of minors to ensure the widest possible application of the principle by which every child should be raised in a natural, family environment from its birth;
- avoid the placement of children in institutional care, which should be the solution of last resort; therefore, the procedural rules and family law will be revisited in particular with regard to the chapters concerning the placement of children in foster care;
- more vigorously promote, in all legislative proposals, the principle of gender equality, strengthen the respective institutional framework and systematically monitor its development.
Work – the source of quality of life for citizens and society
The Government, asa government of certainties for citizens, recognises that work – in the form of employment – is crucial for citizens to feel secure throughout their economically active stage of life. Having a job is vital for making a living, but also for the personal identity of a citizen within the entire society.Aside from bringing material values to the owners of tangible and financial assets, it also forms the status and life values of employees. In the second decade of the 21st century, the Slovak Republic will be a society primarily based on high-quality employee relations that will shape its values and character. Based on the Constitution of the Slovak Republic, labour law therefore is and will remain one of the cornerstones of the Slovak legislation. A balanced employer-employee relationship is important for establishing sustainable growth of the quality of life of citizens. The Government will prepare an amendment to the Labour Code following an expert discussion with its social partners.
As jobs are created in a process where labour generates values, the Government considers work under employment contracts to be a dominant factor for the quality of life of citizens. The Government guarantees that the objectives of its policy in this area will include social inclusion, a well-functioning labour market and educational systems, increasing mobility, and unleashing the innovative and creative potential of people. The transition to a new, sustainable, social, market-based, smarter and more ecological economy will be based on innovative procedures, better use of resources and knowledge. The process must be accompanied by the creation of new jobs, the fight against growing unemployment, poverty and social exclusion. In order to ensure sustainable growth, the Government will adopt measures in which people and responsibility will be brought to the forefront.
The priorities of the Government:
- creating value by basing growth on knowledge;
- empowering people in inclusive societies (acquisition of new skills, encouraging creativity and innovation, development of businesses and a smooth transition between jobs);
- promoting a greater number of job opportunities in exchange for higher adaptability of people;
- creating quality jobs based on decent, safe and good work for fair pay;
- improving opportunities for young people to find a job and join the labour market after graduating from school;
- placing greater emphasis on vulnerable groups, gender equality and social cohesion;
- creating green jobs.
The Government will actively involve the social partners in its efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of the financial crisis on employment and the social sector. Adequate social security, which will be set in a manner that motivates people to work while maintaining purchasing power, will play a key role in this context.
Therefore, the Government deems it necessary:
- to continue the implementation of the European Employment Strategy in line with the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy;
- to develop a system for anticipating labour market needs and skills so as to achieve the greatest consistency possible between labour demand and supply;
- to promote competitiveness by increasing the skills and adaptability of the workforce to be able to respond to the needs of the labour market, as well as by pursuing an active labour market policy;
- to foster activation schemes, in particular with regard to low-qualified workers, including counselling, intensive retraining, apprenticeships, subsidised employment, as well as grants for self-employed people and start-up businesses;
- to target programmes for support for the most vulnerable groups;
- to improve the monitoring of skills development and how they match the actual and anticipated demand in terms of vacancies;
- to review the territorial organisation of public employment services in order to ensure effective cooperation with cities, municipalities and self-governing regions in the development and implementation of regional policies aimed at encouraging employment growth;
- to continue to implement programmes and projects addressing long-term unemployment and ensuring better access to employment for disadvantaged groups in the labour market;
- to continue the effort in promoting work culture based on the standards of the International Labour Organisation, the Council of Europe and the EU;
- to continue the effort in combating illegal employment;
- to amend the legislative requirements prescribed by law and implementing regulations in that they better underpin the need for intensified care of health and safety at work of employees and self-employed people;
- to gradually increase the minimum wage based on monitoring trends in wages;
- to create modern social security schemes;
- with a view to improving law enforcement, to continue to reinforce the personnel and technical capacities of labour inspection authorities to ensure such level of supervision that is taken as a standard in the European Union.
Increased unemployment is a severe outcome of the global economic crisis. Unemployment is associated with a decrease in the standard of living, which is quite significant with certain groups of the population and several regions in Slovakia. A radical treatment of such distortions is not possible. It is a process that requires an integrated strategy to be pursued at least over the medium term.
The Government therefore considers:
- reducing the unemployment of disadvantaged groups and threats they face in the labour market as part of the poverty reduction strategy in the Slovak Republic;
- the poverty reduction strategy in the Slovak Republic as a multi-dimensional process that goes beyond mere job creation and employment services.
In the exercise of its powers, the Government will:
- review the possibility of establishing the concept of subsistence minimum as a socio-economic parameter in the social system, which measures quality of life and is accepted by society;
- develop the existing successful forms of social integration of people with disabilities in cooperation with municipalities, towns, self-governing regions, civic associations and churches;
- step up efforts in addressing the comprehensive problem of the long-term unemployed and improve, through several types of policies – in particular the regional policy, educational policy, housing policy and public services policy – the conditions under which they could find their place in the labour market and society;
- reduce the propensity of young people to stay away from the labour market through better cooperation between educational establishments and employers, as well as the general government and employment services, and will prepare the legislative background for such cooperation;
- continue, as regards the inclusion of marginalised Roma communities, the horizontal activities encompassing efficiently spent funds in accordance with the Decade of Roma Inclusion for 2005-2015 and the Medium-Term Concept of the Development of the Roma National Minority in the Slovak Republic for 2007 - 2015, while also involving Slovak churches and congregations in the process;
- implement the strategies for the inclusion of marginalised Roma communities in particular through local comprehensive approach strategies and local social inclusion partnerships;
- develop a culture of preventing all forms of employment-related discrimination in the workplace; to that effect, the operations of the National Labour Inspectorate will be particularly streamlined;
- prepare a comprehensive system for detecting illegal employment and imposing stricter penalties, in particular by launching more efficient cooperation between employers and trade union organisations and the National Labour Inspectorate, local government authorities and the Police of the Slovak Republic;
- continue the transformation of the Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family into an organisation that also provides – on top of discharging of its administration and registration duties – consultancy services to the unemployed and people under threat of unemployment. The same goes for employers, trade unions, municipalities and towns where a comprehensive approach to the social protection of citizens will be applied while creating the conditions for their employment;
- prepare legislation that will protect low-income and marginalised groups from indebtedness, in particular with regards to non-bank entities which provide loans bordering on usury.
Healthcare - healthy citizens, recovered patients and satisfied medical professionals
The greatest value and source of wealth of a country lies in the health of its citizens, which must be protected and cultivated. The mission of the health sector is to contribute significantly to improving the quality of life of citizens by reducing mortality, morbidity, temporary and permanent effects of diseases and injuries, by providing dedicated, high quality and effective healthcare through the public healthcare system, and by supporting individual and community care for health.
The Government’s health policy is based on European traditions and experiences while taking account of the specific aspects of the Slovak Republic. The right to the protection of health and to healthcare is a basic human right and a high priority in the public interest. Equality and solidarity in protecting the health of citizens and providing accessible, high-quality and effective healthcare, which represents a fundamental public service, must remain the basic principle. The best way to achieve a strong economy and well-being among people is through investing in the health of citizens; therefore, the Government undertakes to adopt all possible and available measures aimed at the stabilisation and development of the public health system in the Slovak Republic.
All of the substantial system changes must come as a result of professional discussion and social agreement of the stakeholders.
During its entire tenure, the Government will refrain from transforming university, college and public hospitals into joint stock companies, thus preventing their privatisation and reduced quality of provided healthcare, as well as an existential threat to hospitals.
The Government will reinforce the public health system and public health surveillance. It will prepare strategic documents, including a plan for a gradual shift from patient care provision to a comprehensive approach to public healthcare, national health promotion programmes and health prevention programmes to tackle the most important areas. This will apply to all citizens, with a focus on the care of children and adolescents, women, the elderly, oncology patients and other most vulnerable groups of the population, the prevention of lifestyle diseases, the promotion of healthy food, healthy environment and active recreation in nature.
The Government will consistently enforce compliance of health-related laws. It will continue to protect non-smokers and adopt anti-alcohol and anti-drug measures.
High quality, availability and effectiveness of healthcare is central to achieving people’s satisfaction and confidence in the provision of healthcare, as well as the way it is organised, managed, controlled and performed. The Government will strive for the provision of such healthcare in the entire territory of the Slovak Republic that is on par with current medical knowledge. This can be done by introducing standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, continuing education of healthcare professionals, and the evaluation of quality indicators of healthcare providers.
Better wages for people working in the health sector remain one of the priorities in this area. Within economic boundaries, the Government will put in place such mechanisms for the management and financing of this sector that will generate sufficient funds for increasing the wages of healthcare professionals. As regards the education of healthcare professionals, the Government will support proposals to change the system in a way that would prevent shortages of personnel in several specialty areas required for the accurate and comprehensive provision of healthcare. In protecting healthcare professionals, the Government will consistently enforce compliance with the Labour Code and norms applicable in healthcare facilities. It will cooperate with professional organisations and trade unions to develop a strategy for changing the situation in the health sector.
The Government will encourage the optimisation of the network of healthcare providers, in particular as regards preventing uncontrolled growth primarily in specialised outpatient care, and will propose how to resolve the problems surrounding first aid. In the area of outpatient care, the occupations of general practitioners and dentists must be made more attractive in cooperation with professional societies as well as professional and educational institutions.
The Government will impose stricter control over hospital management, thus preventing ineffective spending. In order to prevent the accumulation of debts in hospitals which rose to an all-time high over the recent period, the Government will not allow the privatisation of profitable economic activities in hospitals, and will create the conditions for their financial stabilisation in this manner.
Completing the network of emergency admission and trauma centres will be an important task, because emergency medicine constitutes an important element of the Integrated Rescue System.
The Government will maintain a network of healthcare providers under state control on such terms that would guarantee the scope and availability of healthcare covered by public health insurance for all patients. Also encouraged will be the development of university hospitals, as they represent an integrated and generally available medical system providing the highest-quality benefits in terms of healthcare provision, education and scientific research in the field of medicine. In their work, they focus in particular on the needs of individual patients and on treating serious health conditions.
Taking into account the economic limits and the results of the medical, operational and technical audit, the Government will support the completion of the Rázsochy hospital as a modern medical complex of nationwide importance which will provide healthcare to all citizens of the Slovak Republic. By doing so, the educational base of the Slovak healthcare system will be resolved as well.
The Ministry of Health will continue to take steps aimed at reducing the costs and, at the same time, increasing the availability of drugs and medical aids without co-payment for all of the more serious diseases. The Government will lay the groundwork for making the relationship between pharmaceutical companies, healthcare professionals and patients more transparent, while removing the persistent problems in the pharmaceutical market caused by purpose-made legislative measures of the previous government.
In accordance with the Slovak Constitution and the applicable European legislation, the Government will adopt measures aimed at maximising the use of funds, which health insurers statutorily collect from the citizens, for diagnosing and treating patients. It will also propose such legislative and organisational measures that would prevent inefficient spending of funds allocated for healthcare by law. This will require strengthening the principle of solidarity by taking morbidity into account in the redistribution of health insurance premiums. During its tenure, the Government will seek alternatives and sources to finance the gaps caused by the reduced payments of the state for its insurees during the previous government.
The Government considers the use of electronic information systems (eHealth) to be one of the basic prerequisites for improving health protection and increasing the quality of provided healthcare. Therefore, the Ministry of Health will speed up and intensify the process of putting eHealth applications into practice in order to improve the quality, availability and effectiveness of healthcare to the benefit of citizens, healthcare professionals and the entire healthcare system financed from the public resources. The focus will primarily be on electronic medical records and their use by the treating physicians, electronic prescription and medication, public awareness about health and illnesses, support for chronic patient care, and public health. The National Health Information System will fulfil the role of the national eHealth operator.
The Government will prepare and start implementing a comprehensive healthcare system for the elderly through the development of a geriatric healthcare sector and specific social care for the elderly by supporting the establishment of medical/social facilities, including the financing model, and by defining the role of the state, self-governing regions, towns and municipalities. In order to build medical/social capacities, any unneeded healthcare facilities will be used as well.
Quality of life of the elderly and people with disabilities as an important determining factor of a cohesive society
The quality of life of the elderly is a comprehensive issue that stretches beyond economic aspects. For the most part, it is related to the changed lifestyle of working-age people when a successful career requires a high degree of individualisation. This forces the elderly to play a less active role in the life of society and undermines the function of the family. It also has to do with the healthcare system and access to high-quality and comprehensive social and health services. Also important is having affordable yet high-quality special products and services available for the elderly. Moreover, it is related to the ability to provide and make available the conveniences of modern life, all of which goes hand-in-hand with easier access to practical lifelong learning for the elderly. Equally important is the issue of housing for the elderly.
All these activities represent the basis for a stabilising role of domestic consumption in the economy of the country. Creating the conditions for sustainable quality of life of the elderly is considered a dominant factor in setting up the pension system, with an emphasis on old-age pensions. It is an important element of the system that is necessary for maintaining the quality of life of the elderly - however, not the only one.
In line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities and promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Therefore, the Government deems it necessary to:
- prepare a new National Programme for the Support and Protection of the Elderly;
- create optimum conditions for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the institutional background for ensuring its implementation and monitoring;
- draw up, along the lines of the Convention, a new National Programme for the Development of Living Conditions for Persons with Disabilities;
- set up a National Register of People with Disabilities based on society-wide interest.
Maintaining the level of incomes of the elderly/pensioners that is necessary for ensuring the sustainable quality of their lives will represent a serious social and economic problem to be tackled in the upcoming decade.This is due to the dwindling revenues of the pension system. For these reasons:
- the Government will draw up a long-term strategy of the pension policy based on a wide discussion among experts;
- the Government will assess the pension system comprehensively from the perspective of the entire tax and social security system. Lifting the pension scheme out of the context of the overall public finance system is one of the fundamental mistakes that introduced major distortions to Slovakia’s social cohesion system after 2002 from the viewpoint of both short-term and long-term effects;
- solidarity as the basic foundation stone of European civilisation will continue to remain the mainstay of pension insurance in the future. This goes for both intergenerational solidarity and solidarity between the rich and the poor. It is necessary to define the future pension system by applying a universal principle and the rules of fairness, merit, togetherness, responsibility and solidarity; at the same time, the voluntary component must be appropriately combined with the obligations and functions of the state and private entities in ensuring the functioning and financing of the pension system;
- the pension system should be built on equal pension entitlements for all citizens so as to provide a minimum retirement income while ensuring a balanced level of solidarity and merit;
- the goal is to create a pension system that provides reliable protection against old-age poverty and the possibility to maintain an adequate standard of living for citizens when they have no options to cover their living needs from their employment income.
In order to comply with these principles, the Government will press ahead with the following measures:
- the Social Insurance Company will remain the key institution of the social system, with a transparent structure of individual types of insurance funds and with low operating costs; to that end, it will be necessary to put in place the unified collection of taxes and social contributions and unbundle – more consistently than ever before – the executive function from the control and surveillance function performed by its self-governing body while thoroughly applying the tripartite principle;
- as regards the pay-as-you-go pension scheme, the priority will again be to preserve its financial sustainability; the stabilisation of the financial sustainability of the pension system will be significantly propped up by the implementation of the UNITAS project (unified collection of taxes, customs and contributions);
- in terms of retirement pension savings, the Government will again apply the principle of voluntary contributions and review the reasonableness of the number of funds, including with respect to guaranteed entitlements;
- in order to improve the incomes of the elderly, the Government will create the conditions for allowing them to pursue their profession even after reaching retirement age;
- the importance of supplementary pension savings will be restored, in particular by making it more attractive for all of its contributors;
- the category of minimum retirement benefit will be enshrined in the legislation;
- the principle of universality will be gradually applied across all types of professions and occupations.
The comprehensive package allowing the elderly and people with disabilities to take part in the harmonious and sustainable development of society also includes the availability of high-quality, affordable and specialised health services and corresponding social services. The culture of respecting old people and persons with disabilities must be based on cohesive family policy, active involvement of local government, self-governing regions, civic associations and churches, as well as former employers and trade unions of former employers. High-quality and affordable care services for the elderly appears to be a pressing problem.
Housing as an important dimension of sustainable quality of life
The Government considers the following efforts to be crucial for housing development:
- to continue applying the existing instruments for support, to focus on reviewing the quality of the living environment in residential buildings, in particular with regards to prefabricated housing estates and city centres, as well as the reconstruction of residential buildings;
- to use financial resources available from EU Structural Funds for revitalisation projects, provided that comprehensive zoning plans for housing estates subject to revitalisation are drawn up; to that effect, the options offered by the EU’s JESSICA initiative should be explored with a view to raising the credit lines for the revitalisation of housing estates;
- to continue to apply established fiscal and social instruments as provided for by a directive of the Council of Europe to make housing of a reasonable standard affordable to socially vulnerable groups;
- to stabilise the volume of financial resources earmarked for auxiliary instruments for housing development programmes and establish a legislative and institutional framework to involve private funding through public-private partnerships;
- to continue and extend the programmes for the reduction of energy consumption and for increasing the share of renewable sources in housing;
- to create the conditions for the financial sustainability of the Programme for the Construction of Municipal Lower-Standard Rental Apartments, intended for the most deprived citizens, and to create conditions for the construction of technical infrastructure in Roma settlements.
The Government will also focus on the development of rental housing in both the public and private sector. In the following period, it will address, by way of legislation, the issue of tenancy relations between private owners and tenants, as well as the relations between the owners and lessees in general. The Government will preserve the institute of protected tenancy and establish a balance between owners and tenants. The Government will continue to support housing development using the established system of financial instruments based on public funds that will be subject to modification, if necessary. Greater involvement of private capital in the construction of rental apartments with a focus on young people will also be encouraged.
Social policy as a tool for permanent and sustainable growth of the quality of life of the citizens
One of the priorities pertaining to social insurance is to create the legislative conditions for the ratification of the European Code of Social Security which will generally increase the level of social insurance for unemployment and sickness benefits, occupational accidents and diseases.
The Government intends to bring economic and social cohesion to a higher level by fundamentally restructuring the public expenditure. Public expenditure will be increased to reinforce the vital functions of the state for the creation, maintenance and growth of human capital. This is the only way to restore a balance between the economic and social objectives of Slovakia’s development. The effects will be seen in the labour market (active employment policy), in families (for the most part, support for single-parent families and support for elderly-headed households that are most vulnerable to social risks), as well as the housing policy (support for social housing).
By pursuing a coherent social policy wherein the quality of life is achieved through the cohesion of all classes of society, the Government will reinforce the integrity of society based on equal rights of social citizenship.Individualism and collective egoism strategies typically act to the detriment of other individuals, groups and society as a whole. On the other hand, preserving and strengthening the generally accepted social rights is underpinning social integrity quite reliably. This is where a corresponding institutional framework should come into play, one that unites families, communities, municipalities, regions, churches and religious communities, the third sector and the state into a harmonious whole.
The Government will create the conditions for the professional performance of social work.
The procedures to be adopted by the Government in practical social policy must follow the path of the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon and the Europe 2020 strategy underscore the future development of the EU as a knowledge-based, social and environmentally-oriented society. This is seen as the source of the EU’s competitiveness in the global arena. The Protocol on Services of General Interest annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon stresses the importance of public services, including social services. It confirms the responsibility of Member States for providing and organising such services. The Treaty of Lisbon represents a major shift towards the recognition of social rights. The EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights contributed in a similar way to the development of a social Europe, recognising not only the role of social partners in a social dialogue while respecting their autonomous character, but also establishing a contractual basis for the “Tripartite Social Summit” attended by European social partners, heads of state, the European Commission and other partners. The Government subscribes to these new legal commitments and seeks that they be implemented through practical policies both in Slovakia and at the EU level.
In the Government’s opinion, sustainable development of Slovak society and the ensuing improvement of the quality of life of the citizens require that:
- social integrity be reinforced on the basis of equal rights of social citizenship;
- the coordination between economic and social policy be intensified by interconnecting all measures under the Government’s agenda to a greater extent;
- qualified approaches for studying the evolution and development of Slovak society be furthered through qualified and systemic monitoring and analyses of the processes existing in Slovak society. In the same vein, this should be achieved by establishing higher-quality sociological and social scientific research, one that will identify stratification and development trends seen in Slovak society;
- the existing rules of social dialogue be modified in a way that makes it more functional even at the level of regions, industries and, for the most part, companies and organisations.
The priorities of the Government:
- creating value by basing growth on knowledge;
- empowering people in inclusive societies (acquisition of new skills, encouraging creativity and innovation, development of businesses and a smooth transition between jobs);
- promoting a greater number of job opportunities in exchange for higher adaptability of people;
- creating quality jobs based on decent, safe and good work for fair pay;
- improving opportunities for young people to find a job and join the labour market after graduating from school;
- placing greater emphasis on vulnerable groups, gender equality and social cohesion;
- creating green jobs.
The Government will actively involve the social partners in its efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of the financial crisis on employment and the social sector. Adequate social security, which will be set in a manner that motivates people to work while maintaining purchasing power, will play a key role in this context.
Therefore, the Government deems it necessary:
- to continue the implementation of the European Employment Strategy in line with the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy;
- to develop a system for anticipating labour market needs and skills so as to achieve the greatest consistency possible between labour demand and supply;
- to promote competitiveness by increasing the skills and adaptability of the workforce to be able to respond to the needs of the labour market, as well as by pursuing an active labour market policy;
- to foster activation schemes, in particular with regard to low-qualified workers, including counselling, intensive retraining, apprenticeships, subsidised employment, as well as grants for self-employed people and start-up businesses;
- to target programmes for support for the most vulnerable groups;
- to improve the monitoring of skills development and how they match the actual and anticipated demand in terms of vacancies;
- to review the territorial organisation of public employment services in order to ensure effective cooperation with cities, municipalities and self-governing regions in the development and implementation of regional policies aimed at encouraging employment growth;
- to continue to implement programmes and projects addressing long-term unemployment and ensuring better access to employment for disadvantaged groups in the labour market;
- to continue the effort in promoting work culture based on the standards of the International Labour Organisation, the Council of Europe and the EU;
- to continue the effort in combating illegal employment;
- to amend the legislative requirements prescribed by law and implementing regulations in that they better underpin the need for intensified care of health and safety at work of employees and self-employed people;
- to gradually increase the minimum wage based on monitoring trends in wages;
- to create modern social security schemes;
- with a view to improving law enforcement, to continue to reinforce the personnel and technical capacities of labour inspection authorities to ensure such level of supervision that is taken as a standard in the European Union.
Increased unemployment is a severe outcome of the global economic crisis. Unemployment is associated with a decrease in the standard of living, which is quite significant with certain groups of the population and several regions in Slovakia. A radical treatment of such distortions is not possible. It is a process that requires an integrated strategy to be pursued at least over the medium term.
The Government therefore considers:
- reducing the unemployment of disadvantaged groups and threats they face in the labour market as part of the poverty reduction strategy in the Slovak Republic;
- the poverty reduction strategy in the Slovak Republic as a multi-dimensional process that goes beyond mere job creation and employment services.
In the exercise of its powers, the Government will:
- review the possibility of establishing the concept of subsistence minimum as a socio-economic parameter in the social system, which measures quality of life and is accepted by society;
- develop the existing successful forms of social integration of people with disabilities in cooperation with municipalities, towns, self-governing regions, civic associations and churches;
- step up efforts in addressing the comprehensive problem of the long-term unemployed and improve, through several types of policies – in particular the regional policy, educational policy, housing policy and public services policy – the conditions under which they could find their place in the labour market and society;
- reduce the propensity of young people to stay away from the labour market through better cooperation between educational establishments and employers, as well as the general government and employment services, and will prepare the legislative background for such cooperation;
- continue, as regards the inclusion of marginalised Roma communities, the horizontal activities encompassing efficiently spent funds in accordance with the Decade of Roma Inclusion for 2005-2015 and the Medium-Term Concept of the Development of the Roma National Minority in the Slovak Republic for 2007 - 2015, while also involving Slovak churches and congregations in the process;
- implement the strategies for the inclusion of marginalised Roma communities in particular through local comprehensive approach strategies and local social inclusion partnerships;
- develop a culture of preventing all forms of employment-related discrimination in the workplace; to that effect, the operations of the National Labour Inspectorate will be particularly streamlined;
- prepare a comprehensive system for detecting illegal employment and imposing stricter penalties, in particular by launching more efficient cooperation between employers and trade union organisations and the National Labour Inspectorate, local government authorities and the Police of the Slovak Republic;
- continue the transformation of the Offices of Labour, Social Affairs and Family into an organisation that also provides – on top of discharging of its administration and registration duties – consultancy services to the unemployed and people under threat of unemployment. The same goes for employers, trade unions, municipalities and towns where a comprehensive approach to the social protection of citizens will be applied while creating the conditions for their employment;
- prepare legislation that will protect low-income and marginalised groups from indebtedness, in particular with regards to non-bank entities which provide loans bordering on usury.
Healthcare - healthy citizens, recovered patients and satisfied medical professionals
The greatest value and source of wealth of a country lies in the health of its citizens, which must be protected and cultivated. The mission of the health sector is to contribute significantly to improving the quality of life of citizens by reducing mortality, morbidity, temporary and permanent effects of diseases and injuries, by providing dedicated, high quality and effective healthcare through the public healthcare system, and by supporting individual and community care for health.
The Government’s health policy is based on European traditions and experiences while taking account of the specific aspects of the Slovak Republic. The right to the protection of health and to healthcare is a basic human right and a high priority in the public interest. Equality and solidarity in protecting the health of citizens and providing accessible, high-quality and effective healthcare, which represents a fundamental public service, must remain the basic principle. The best way to achieve a strong economy and well-being among people is through investing in the health of citizens; therefore, the Government undertakes to adopt all possible and available measures aimed at the stabilisation and development of the public health system in the Slovak Republic.
All of the substantial system changes must come as a result of professional discussion and social agreement of the stakeholders.
During its entire tenure, the Government will refrain from transforming university, college and public hospitals into joint stock companies, thus preventing their privatisation and reduced quality of provided healthcare, as well as an existential threat to hospitals.
The Government will reinforce the public health system and public health surveillance. It will prepare strategic documents, including a plan for a gradual shift from patient care provision to a comprehensive approach to public healthcare, national health promotion programmes and health prevention programmes to tackle the most important areas. This will apply to all citizens, with a focus on the care of children and adolescents, women, the elderly, oncology patients and other most vulnerable groups of the population, the prevention of lifestyle diseases, the promotion of healthy food, healthy environment and active recreation in nature.
The Government will consistently enforce compliance of health-related laws. It will continue to protect non-smokers and adopt anti-alcohol and anti-drug measures.
High quality, availability and effectiveness of healthcare is central to achieving people’s satisfaction and confidence in the provision of healthcare, as well as the way it is organised, managed, controlled and performed. The Government will strive for the provision of such healthcare in the entire territory of the Slovak Republic that is on par with current medical knowledge. This can be done by introducing standard diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, continuing education of healthcare professionals, and the evaluation of quality indicators of healthcare providers.
Better wages for people working in the health sector remain one of the priorities in this area. Within economic boundaries, the Government will put in place such mechanisms for the management and financing of this sector that will generate sufficient funds for increasing the wages of healthcare professionals. As regards the education of healthcare professionals, the Government will support proposals to change the system in a way that would prevent shortages of personnel in several specialty areas required for the accurate and comprehensive provision of healthcare. In protecting healthcare professionals, the Government will consistently enforce compliance with the Labour Code and norms applicable in healthcare facilities. It will cooperate with professional organisations and trade unions to develop a strategy for changing the situation in the health sector.
The Government will encourage the optimisation of the network of healthcare providers, in particular as regards preventing uncontrolled growth primarily in specialised outpatient care, and will propose how to resolve the problems surrounding first aid. In the area of outpatient care, the occupations of general practitioners and dentists must be made more attractive in cooperation with professional societies as well as professional and educational institutions.
The Government will impose stricter control over hospital management, thus preventing ineffective spending. In order to prevent the accumulation of debts in hospitals which rose to an all-time high over the recent period, the Government will not allow the privatisation of profitable economic activities in hospitals, and will create the conditions for their financial stabilisation in this manner.
Completing the network of emergency admission and trauma centres will be an important task, because emergency medicine constitutes an important element of the Integrated Rescue System.
The Government will maintain a network of healthcare providers under state control on such terms that would guarantee the scope and availability of healthcare covered by public health insurance for all patients. Also encouraged will be the development of university hospitals, as they represent an integrated and generally available medical system providing the highest-quality benefits in terms of healthcare provision, education and scientific research in the field of medicine. In their work, they focus in particular on the needs of individual patients and on treating serious health conditions.
Taking into account the economic limits and the results of the medical, operational and technical audit, the Government will support the completion of the Rázsochy hospital as a modern medical complex of nationwide importance which will provide healthcare to all citizens of the Slovak Republic. By doing so, the educational base of the Slovak healthcare system will be resolved as well.
The Ministry of Health will continue to take steps aimed at reducing the costs and, at the same time, increasing the availability of drugs and medical aids without co-payment for all of the more serious diseases. The Government will lay the groundwork for making the relationship between pharmaceutical companies, healthcare professionals and patients more transparent, while removing the persistent problems in the pharmaceutical market caused by purpose-made legislative measures of the previous government.
In accordance with the Slovak Constitution and the applicable European legislation, the Government will adopt measures aimed at maximising the use of funds, which health insurers statutorily collect from the citizens, for diagnosing and treating patients. It will also propose such legislative and organisational measures that would prevent inefficient spending of funds allocated for healthcare by law. This will require strengthening the principle of solidarity by taking morbidity into account in the redistribution of health insurance premiums. During its tenure, the Government will seek alternatives and sources to finance the gaps caused by the reduced payments of the state for its insurees during the previous government.
The Government considers the use of electronic information systems (eHealth) to be one of the basic prerequisites for improving health protection and increasing the quality of provided healthcare. Therefore, the Ministry of Health will speed up and intensify the process of putting eHealth applications into practice in order to improve the quality, availability and effectiveness of healthcare to the benefit of citizens, healthcare professionals and the entire healthcare system financed from the public resources. The focus will primarily be on electronic medical records and their use by the treating physicians, electronic prescription and medication, public awareness about health and illnesses, support for chronic patient care, and public health. The National Health Information System will fulfil the role of the national eHealth operator.
The Government will prepare and start implementing a comprehensive healthcare system for the elderly through the development of a geriatric healthcare sector and specific social care for the elderly by supporting the establishment of medical/social facilities, including the financing model, and by defining the role of the state, self-governing regions, towns and municipalities. In order to build medical/social capacities, any unneeded healthcare facilities will be used as well.
Quality of life of the elderly and people with disabilities as an important determining factor of a cohesive society
The quality of life of the elderly is a comprehensive issue that stretches beyond economic aspects. For the most part, it is related to the changed lifestyle of working-age people when a successful career requires a high degree of individualisation. This forces the elderly to play a less active role in the life of society and undermines the function of the family. It also has to do with the healthcare system and access to high-quality and comprehensive social and health services. Also important is having affordable yet high-quality special products and services available for the elderly. Moreover, it is related to the ability to provide and make available the conveniences of modern life, all of which goes hand-in-hand with easier access to practical lifelong learning for the elderly. Equally important is the issue of housing for the elderly.
All these activities represent the basis for a stabilising role of domestic consumption in the economy of the country. Creating the conditions for sustainable quality of life of the elderly is considered a dominant factor in setting up the pension system, with an emphasis on old-age pensions. It is an important element of the system that is necessary for maintaining the quality of life of the elderly - however, not the only one.
In line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Government will protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms by persons with disabilities and promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Therefore, the Government deems it necessary to:
- prepare a new National Programme for the Support and Protection of the Elderly;
- create optimum conditions for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including the institutional background for ensuring its implementation and monitoring;
- draw up, along the lines of the Convention, a new National Programme for the Development of Living Conditions for Persons with Disabilities;
- set up a National Register of People with Disabilities based on society-wide interest.
Maintaining the level of incomes of the elderly/pensioners that is necessary for ensuring the sustainable quality of their lives will represent a serious social and economic problem to be tackled in the upcoming decade.This is due to the dwindling revenues of the pension system. For these reasons:
- the Government will draw up a long-term strategy of the pension policy based on a wide discussion among experts;
- the Government will assess the pension system comprehensively from the perspective of the entire tax and social security system. Lifting the pension scheme out of the context of the overall public finance system is one of the fundamental mistakes that introduced major distortions to Slovakia’s social cohesion system after 2002 from the viewpoint of both short-term and long-term effects;
- solidarity as the basic foundation stone of European civilisation will continue to remain the mainstay of pension insurance in the future. This goes for both intergenerational solidarity and solidarity between the rich and the poor. It is necessary to define the future pension system by applying a universal principle and the rules of fairness, merit, togetherness, responsibility and solidarity; at the same time, the voluntary component must be appropriately combined with the obligations and functions of the state and private entities in ensuring the functioning and financing of the pension system;
- the pension system should be built on equal pension entitlements for all citizens so as to provide a minimum retirement income while ensuring a balanced level of solidarity and merit;
- the goal is to create a pension system that provides reliable protection against old-age poverty and the possibility to maintain an adequate standard of living for citizens when they have no options to cover their living needs from their employment income.
In order to comply with these principles, the Government will press ahead with the following measures:
- the Social Insurance Company will remain the key institution of the social system, with a transparent structure of individual types of insurance funds and with low operating costs; to that end, it will be necessary to put in place the unified collection of taxes and social contributions and unbundle – more consistently than ever before – the executive function from the control and surveillance function performed by its self-governing body while thoroughly applying the tripartite principle;
- as regards the pay-as-you-go pension scheme, the priority will again be to preserve its financial sustainability; the stabilisation of the financial sustainability of the pension system will be significantly propped up by the implementation of the UNITAS project (unified collection of taxes, customs and contributions);
- in terms of retirement pension savings, the Government will again apply the principle of voluntary contributions and review the reasonableness of the number of funds, including with respect to guaranteed entitlements;
- in order to improve the incomes of the elderly, the Government will create the conditions for allowing them to pursue their profession even after reaching retirement age;
- the importance of supplementary pension savings will be restored, in particular by making it more attractive for all of its contributors;
- the category of minimum retirement benefit will be enshrined in the legislation;
- the principle of universality will be gradually applied across all types of professions and occupations.
The comprehensive package allowing the elderly and people with disabilities to take part in the harmonious and sustainable development of society also includes the availability of high-quality, affordable and specialised health services and corresponding social services. The culture of respecting old people and persons with disabilities must be based on cohesive family policy, active involvement of local government, self-governing regions, civic associations and churches, as well as former employers and trade unions of former employers. High-quality and affordable care services for the elderly appears to be a pressing problem.
Housing as an important dimension of sustainable quality of life
The Government considers the following efforts to be crucial for housing development:
- to continue applying the existing instruments for support, to focus on reviewing the quality of the living environment in residential buildings, in particular with regards to prefabricated housing estates and city centres, as well as the reconstruction of residential buildings;
- to use financial resources available from EU Structural Funds for revitalisation projects, provided that comprehensive zoning plans for housing estates subject to revitalisation are drawn up; to that effect, the options offered by the EU’s JESSICA initiative should be explored with a view to raising the credit lines for the revitalisation of housing estates;
- to continue to apply established fiscal and social instruments as provided for by a directive of the Council of Europe to make housing of a reasonable standard affordable to socially vulnerable groups;
- to stabilise the volume of financial resources earmarked for auxiliary instruments for housing development programmes and establish a legislative and institutional framework to involve private funding through public-private partnerships;
- to continue and extend the programmes for the reduction of energy consumption and for increasing the share of renewable sources in housing;
- to create the conditions for the financial sustainability of the Programme for the Construction of Municipal Lower-Standard Rental Apartments, intended for the most deprived citizens, and to create conditions for the construction of technical infrastructure in Roma settlements.
The Government will also focus on the development of rental housing in both the public and private sector. In the following period, it will address, by way of legislation, the issue of tenancy relations between private owners and tenants, as well as the relations between the owners and lessees in general. The Government will preserve the institute of protected tenancy and establish a balance between owners and tenants. The Government will continue to support housing development using the established system of financial instruments based on public funds that will be subject to modification, if necessary. Greater involvement of private capital in the construction of rental apartments with a focus on young people will also be encouraged.
Social policy as a tool for permanent and sustainable growth of the quality of life of the citizens
One of the priorities pertaining to social insurance is to create the legislative conditions for the ratification of the European Code of Social Security which will generally increase the level of social insurance for unemployment and sickness benefits, occupational accidents and diseases.
The Government intends to bring economic and social cohesion to a higher level by fundamentally restructuring the public expenditure. Public expenditure will be increased to reinforce the vital functions of the state for the creation, maintenance and growth of human capital. This is the only way to restore a balance between the economic and social objectives of Slovakia’s development. The effects will be seen in the labour market (active employment policy), in families (for the most part, support for single-parent families and support for elderly-headed households that are most vulnerable to social risks), as well as the housing policy (support for social housing).
By pursuing a coherent social policy wherein the quality of life is achieved through the cohesion of all classes of society, the Government will reinforce the integrity of society based on equal rights of social citizenship.Individualism and collective egoism strategies typically act to the detriment of other individuals, groups and society as a whole. On the other hand, preserving and strengthening the generally accepted social rights is underpinning social integrity quite reliably. This is where a corresponding institutional framework should come into play, one that unites families, communities, municipalities, regions, churches and religious communities, the third sector and the state into a harmonious whole.
The Government will create the conditions for the professional performance of social work.
The procedures to be adopted by the Government in practical social policy must follow the path of the EU. The Treaty of Lisbon and the Europe 2020 strategy underscore the future development of the EU as a knowledge-based, social and environmentally-oriented society. This is seen as the source of the EU’s competitiveness in the global arena. The Protocol on Services of General Interest annexed to the Treaty of Lisbon stresses the importance of public services, including social services. It confirms the responsibility of Member States for providing and organising such services. The Treaty of Lisbon represents a major shift towards the recognition of social rights. The EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights contributed in a similar way to the development of a social Europe, recognising not only the role of social partners in a social dialogue while respecting their autonomous character, but also establishing a contractual basis for the “Tripartite Social Summit” attended by European social partners, heads of state, the European Commission and other partners. The Government subscribes to these new legal commitments and seeks that they be implemented through practical policies both in Slovakia and at the EU level.
In the Government’s opinion, sustainable development of Slovak society and the ensuing improvement of the quality of life of the citizens require that:
- social integrity be reinforced on the basis of equal rights of social citizenship;
- the coordination between economic and social policy be intensified by interconnecting all measures under the Government’s agenda to a greater extent;
- qualified approaches for studying the evolution and development of Slovak society be furthered through qualified and systemic monitoring and analyses of the processes existing in Slovak society. In the same vein, this should be achieved by establishing higher-quality sociological and social scientific research, one that will identify stratification and development trends seen in Slovak society;
- the existing rules of social dialogue be modified in a way that makes it more functional even at the level of regions, industries and, for the most part, companies and organisations.
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