Slovakia's Drug Policy Serves Financial Groups Over Patients, Opposition MP Claims

Slovakia has fundamentally failed in its drug policy, prioritizing financial interests over patient welfare and public health, according to Oskar Dvořák, a member of parliament from the opposition Progressive Slovakia party. Dvořák's criticism follows findings by the Supreme Audit Office regarding the country's pharmaceutical policy. The MP accused Prime Minister Robert Fico of abandoning meaningful public health policy and creating non-transparent conflicts of interest among ministry officials. Slovakia operates under a coalition government led by Fico's social-democratic Smer-SD party, which returned to power following elections last year. Progressive Slovakia, a liberal pro-EU party, serves in the opposition and frequently criticizes the government's approach to healthcare reform. Dvořák warned that the current policies will cost lives and damage public health outcomes.