Feb 23 • 14:47 UTC 🇸🇰 Slovakia Denník N

Close ties with politicians, scandal with colonoscopies. Director Kužela leaves amid growing loss of the hospital

Ladislav Kužela resigns as director of St. Michal's Hospital in Bratislava amid a scandal involving colonoscopies and the hospital's financial losses.

Ladislav Kužela, the director of St. Michal's Hospital in Bratislava, is set to leave his position at the end of March. His resignation is closely tied to a scandal regarding colonoscopies from the previous summer, which he stated he could neither personally nor professionally reconcile with. Kužela highlighted the difficulty of his decision, emphasizing that he deliberated for six months before deciding to step down in order to support his colleagues and healthcare workers during this challenging time.

He asserted that his departure was not a hasty decision and was aimed at addressing systematic changes to prevent future occurrences of similar scandals. Kužela firmly denied that his resignation was influenced by the hospital's financial situation, which has been in the red during his tenure. In the midst of these developments, the Ministry of Health responded to inquiries from Denník N with a terse "no comment," leaving many questions about the hospital's management and future unaddressed.

St. Michal's Hospital has faced continuous financial losses under Kužela's leadership, which raises concerns about the management of public health resources in Slovakia. The scandals, coupled with close ties between management and politicians, complicate the narrative around accountability and governance in healthcare, prompting calls for improved transparency and oversight in similar institutions.

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