Call For Czech Health Minister To Resign

In a letter to the President, Vaclav Havel, the Czech Patients' Association has called on Health Minister Ludek Rubas to resign because it claims that the Minister has taken "unconsidered decisions" that have brought the health service to a point of collapse and badly affected health care, according to the CTK news agency's Business News.

Zdenek Mambalek, the association's chairman, says the organization has called on patients to withhold one month's health insurance payments if Mr Rubas does not resign by the end of February. Mr Hamalek added that the protest action should restore professionalism to Czech medicine, and said that Mr Rubas "no longer represents anybody."

The Association of Medical Professions in the Czech Republic has also taken action, breaking off contacts with the Ministry because of disagreements pertaining to regulations on health insurance. These disagreements are believed to focus on the extent of health care that will be funded by health insurance schemes.