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Corrupt? PMR Health Minister Ivan Tkachenko won't get the money he wants until Parliament is sure his ministry runs a clean ship

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - Transdniestria's minority Communist Party has called a public protest march in Tiraspol for Saturday, 2 June, to voice their anger over a shabby health care system.

PMR Health Minister Ivan Tkachenko says that he feels no shame for the unrecognized country's health care and human services, but Parliament - led by the Renewal party's Yevgeny Shevchuk - does not agree. When it comes to the national health system, they are closer to the Communists than to the cabinet minister.

" - Whether he [Ivan Tkachenko] feels shame or not is up to him to decide," says Yevgeny Shevchuk. "I think we, adult working people, feel shame for this situation when pensioners and people with low income can not enjoy high-quality health care for their pensions are too low, their pensions can’t ensure proper health services. So I think we should admit that the provision of the PMR Constitution stipulating free medical treatment is not implemented. Some services are free of charge, but not everyone knows this and benefit from it."

Comparisons with Victor Balala

Yevgeny Shevchuk, majority leader and Speaker of Parliament, has openly criticized the current situation in the unrecognized country's health care system. He also has harsh words for the political activity of the Health Ministry.

" - The current situation is rather surprising: Parliament initiates inspection trying to oversee the implementation of legislative acts and spending of the budget funds and at this moment the political clamour is set up. It results in numerous petitions submitted by doctors from one district or another who demand introduction of the health insurance system; it’s almost in support for the Health Ministry," says the Speaker. Shevchuk, 38, went on to compare Health Minister Ivan Tkachenko with PMR's former Justice Minister Victor Balala who was fired and left the country after he was caught with his hand in the till, taking a personal commission on a privatization deal.

" - It reminds me of the situation with ex Justice Minister Balala who is far from here now. At that time we also tried to learn how he spent the money of the Moldavian power-station. The Justice Ministry and its employees also wrote letters in support for the Justice Ministry. I want to say that those people who are clamouring for health insurance try to avoid solving real tasks facing the parliamentary commission which oversee implementation of legislative acts; they just try to change the course of the public debate. They say that Parliament is against the health insurance system. It is not true."

Pridnestrovie's national health system, and all expenditures of the PMR Health Ministry, is currently funded from three sources: the annual national budget, income from fees paid by users of health and human services, and the Social Insurance Fund which companies pay into on behalf of their employees.

Three-fold increase in spending

PMR national health spending increased three-fold between 2001 and 2007. Money is mostly spent for salaries; i.e. to pay nurses, doctors and other staff. But as Parliament points out, at the same time beside the increase in spending on health care (about 30% of the republican budget revenue), there has also been an increase in complaints made by citizens of PMR who are not satisfied with the quality of health care services or high charges for medical treatment. In short, three times as much money is being spent but users of free health care do not see translated into a service which is three times as good.

" - The current situation is rather difficult; the Health Service Ministry regulates a range of fee-paid and free health services. Of course, pensioners don't always understand this completely and they sometimes pay for services which they are not obliged to pay for. So it can’t but arouse questions of members of Parliament and citizens of PMR," says Yevgeny Shevchuk, himself a local-born Pridnestrovian. He suspects "sticky fingers" and corruption or collusion with suppliers: "In this regard, some facts concerning pharmaceutical companies that supply medicines and drugs to the national health system with a maximum extra charge come to light. We have some questions to these companies, and inspections are underway. I’d like to say that there are some irregularities in spending of budget funds by the National Health Ministry."

Health insurance is a sore point which has been debated for months in Pridnestrovie. In theory, the opposition-controlled Parliament is in favor of health insurance. In practice, some - like Speaker Shevchuk - fear that the income from an extra 5% average tax could risk becoming a target for corruption.

" - When the health insurance bill was under consideration in Parliament, we demanded a clear prognosis of possible after-effects from the Health Ministry. What is health insurance? First of all, it means extra taxes to be levied on citizens. It means 5% tax on average and the fourth financial source for the Health Ministry."

Corruption concerns

" - They tell us, “Don’t pay attention to a chaos in some places, give us more money and everything will be OK”. I don’t think it’s a right course, because we first of all want to know what services will be free for our citizens after legal introduction of the health insurance system. It should not be in the way as it often happens when we pass law increasing tax burden and then the Health Ministry decides on its own what services are fee-paid and what services are free. And in this situation some unscrupulous people will fish in troubled waters," believes Yevgeny Shevchuk.

" - If we have a concrete program where it will be clearly stated how the money will be spent, I don’t think we’ll have any problems. It will be more efficient and easy to understand when another minister will be in charge of the reform. I think of course, it is up to the President to decide, but the commission material proves that the national health system is crying out for reforms. We have an impression that the principal officers of the Health Ministry are unable to react adequately, to influence the situation and to offer possible solutions."

" - I again emphasize that it is up to the President to decide, but we as legislators and citizens of PMR won’t allow to mislead our voters again by imposing new taxes," ends Shevchuk. (With information from vspmr.org)

See also:
» Communists declare permanent opposition, demand reversal of reforms [1]
» EU-origin aid arrives in Tiraspol at critical time [2]

On the web:
» Paid Medicine legalized in Pridnestrovie [3]