In the September 2023 election, he was co-opted into the National Council of the Slovak Republic under the banner of HLAS- SD. A month later, he was appointed state secretary at the Ministry of Economy. A year passed, October 2024 arrived, and Kamil Šaško was appointed minister of health by President Peter Pellegrini. A position that is closely scrutinized not only by politicians but by the entire public.
You have completed roughly 150 days as minister of health. How do you see the situation in Slovak healthcare? Which areas are in good shape, and where will significant improvements be needed?
After several months in office, I can say that our initial steps are beginning to translate into concrete results. The most important step was reaching an agreement with the Medical Trade Union Association. This resolved the doctors’ strike demanding that the 2022 memorandum be upheld. The agreement not only provides benefits for doctors but is also significantly focused on the patient. It ensures that we can provide patients with adequate healthcare not only today but also in the future. We are currently witnessing the largest hospital construction and renovation project in Slovakia’s history. Using funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, we are building entirely new hospitals in Banská Bystrica and Martin, and in Poprad, a comprehensive hospital renovation and reconstruction is underway. I regularly visit these project sites with my team. We are also modernizing other hospitals and healthcare facilities across Slovakia, gradually improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare in all regions. Altogether, these investments in healthcare amount to over one billion euros. We have developed a concrete plan as part of the Chance for Health work program, which addresses the sector’s biggest challenges and main priorities. Another crucial step was preventing a financial collapse at the General Health Insurance Company, where the ministry implemented measures to stabilize financial management. The new leadership averted the threat of a recovery plan, allowing the insurer to achieve efficient financial management – an unprecedented success. A comprehensive financial oversight process has also been introduced for state hospitals, ensuring strict monitoring of hospital directors‘ management targets. Over the next year, we will implement centralized purchasing of medicines and specialized medical materials. I also consider preventive care to be a very important topic. That‘s why I will strongly support it and will do everything I can to expand access to these programs and raise public awareness of the available options. At the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, we are introducing an organized approach to cancer screening, significantly improving prevention and early cancer detection.
Do you have any personal plans to ensure that Slovak healthcare professionals are motivated to work at home and not leave the country?
The healthcare workforce is among my priorities. Without enough doctors, paramedics, nurses, and other healthcare workers, quality healthcare cannot be provided. The shortage of these professionals is a problem that virtually all European countries face, competing with each other to attract these employees. The government has already committed to improving working conditions for healthcare professionals and stabilizing the workforce in its policy statement. We are striving to create working conditions that will be attractive to medical graduates. Legislative changes have simplified the enrollment of healthcare workers in specialized training, including the residency program. We have increased the number of medical students – in the 2024-2025 academic year, medical faculties accepted 150 more Slovak students. Key motivators for retaining nurses in the system and attracting new staff include improving the work environment, enhancing interpersonal relationships in the workplace, and offering competitive salaries. The absolutely essential factor is positively engaging medical students and discussing the significance of this profession with them.
Healthcare financing - or more precisely, efficient financing - is a global issue. Is the system in Slovakia set up well, or does it require major changes?
When I took office, I stated that financing is an area I want to pay special attention to. Not only because I have an economics background and experience, but primarily because it is essential for ensuring quality healthcare. Increasing the efficiency and transparency of hospital financing is my top priority. We must focus on this to establish a sustainable healthcare system. I will closely examine all financial flows, and my team and I will adopt a “follow the money” approach.
March will be a busy legislative period in the National Council. At the same time, there is frequent speculation about whether the ruling coalition still holds a secure majority. What do you anticipate for Slovakia‘s political future?
From the perspective of the Ministry of Health, we have successfully passed all necessary and essential laws in Parliament recently – through an expedited legislative process. In other words, what we needed, the MPs approved. This was crucial for stabilizing personnel in the healthcare sector, and now we can gradually start implementing the reform steps that my team and I have been preparing. There have been some changes in the distribution of ministries among coalition parties to stabilize the political situation. All MPs who have supported this coalition since the beginning of the term continue to declare their support for the government and the prime minister. I am convinced that the situation
will stabilize, allowing us to continue working for the people.
Slovakia has strict legislation regarding psychoactive substances - for example, kratom is banned. Meanwhile, in Czechia, its use is not considered a significant public health risk. What is your stance on this issue?
It is true that Slovak legislation in this area is quite strict. In certain cases, such regulation is justified. However, regarding the specific substance in question – kratom – there is a valid debate on whether Slovakia’s current approach is truly necessary. It is particularly interesting that in Czechia, kratom has been removed from the list of banned substances and is not considered a significant public health risk. This discrepancy in regulation certainly warrants deeper analysis and discussion about the reasons behind Slovakia’s different stance. I consider it important that the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic engages in expert dialogue on this matter. The goal should be to objectively assess whether a blanket ban on kratom in Slovakia is genuinely necessary – especially given that a neighboring country has taken a different legal approach.
Editor’s note: In Hungary, Czechia, Austria, and other European Union countries, kratom can be legally purchased in stores. However, the moment you bring it to Slovakia, you can face significant problems and the risk of criminal prosecution.
CV BOX
Kamil Šaško (born November 5, 1985, in Poprad) is Slovakia’s minister of health. He previously served as the state secretary at the Ministry of Economy, focusing primarily on energy policy as well as industrial policy and innovation.
He earned a degree in finance and investment banking at the London School of Business and Finance and worked in the private financial sector.
He has extensive experience in public administration at the Slovak Ministry of Finance (serving as general state advisor in the financial market area from 2014 to 2015) and the National Bank of Slovakia. From 2015 to 2020, he held various positions at the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic
to the EU in Brussels, successfully leading key working groups during Slovakia‘s first EU Council presidency.
He has been a member of HLAS-SD‘s board since 2023. Following the election that year, he served as a member of parliament until his appointment as minister.
He is married, has one son, and lives in Bratislava.
