​Central

The central government is responsible for:

• National health policy;
• Nursing education and health care professionals;
• Ensuring quality and patient safety in healthcare;
• The management of societal and national programmes aimed at promoting health;
• Keeping national health registries in cooperation with the National Health Information Centre;
• Cooperation with international organisations and institutions, including WHO, OECD, EU, Council of Europe, European Commission;
• Development of long-term goals of the professional health education;
• Regulation of professional and methodical activity of the Slovak Medical University, the Slovak Medical Library and coordination of professional education at secondary medical schools; and
• Coordination of foreign assistance of the EU (structural funds) in Health Department.

Regional

Regional authorities are responsible for:

• Creating the conditions for the development of health;
• Establishment of hospitals and health centres;
• Issuing licenses for the provision of healthcare in some types of health facilities (ambulance stations – general or specialised, home care agencies, dialysis centres, clinics, separate unit of common diagnostic and treatment units, general hospitals, one-day surgery centres, sanatoriums for long-term-care, hospices, pharmacies, issuance of medical devices, issuance of orthopaedic and prosthetic devices, issuance of audio-prosthetic devices)
  Deciding on the obligation of general practitioners and dentists provide out of hours primary care.
• Supervision of the health care providers
• Solving patient complaints

Local

Municipal authorities are responsible for:

• Creation and protection of health conditions and a healthy way of life and healthy work conditions of the municipal population;
• Creating the conditions for providing healthcare to education, culture and educational activities;
• The creation of ambulance stations, including the establishment of medical services and first aid clinic in social services;
• The establishment of specialised outpatient care, polyclinics, hospitals of type I;
• Cooperating in prevention programmes, and
• Approving office hours of private health care facilities.

Responsible ministries/bodies

Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Sources:

Slovak National Council Act No. 369/1990 on Municipalities, last amendment 5/2019.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No.221/1996 on the Slovak Republic Territorial and Administrative Organisation, last amendment 453/2001.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No.222/1996 on the Organisation of Local State Administration, last amendment 180/2014.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No.302/2001 on the Government of higher territorial units (Law on the region), last amendment 177/2018.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No.416/2001 on the transfer of some competences from State administration to Municipalities and higher territorial units, last amendment 440/2015.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No. 576/2004 on the health care, last amendment 374/2018.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No. 578/2004 on the health care providers, last amendment 374/2018.

National Council of the Slovak Republic Act No. 362/2011 on drugs and medical devices, last amendment 374/2018.