The petitioner shall: Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic
Name of the petition:
PHYSICIA for solving everyday problems of people with autism addressed to the Ministry of Health as well as to several entities

Text: We, signed below by citizens under the law of petition, demand that the government of the Slovak Republic or its respective responsible departments and institutions, including local government, immediately begin to address the everyday problems of people with autism that these people and their families encounter in all life cycles, from birth through school age, in adulthood, but also in old age. Also on the basis of the expert discussion and the conclusions of the conference held on 9.4.2019 in the OR SR entitled: Ignored, discriminated against and overlooked: Autists and their families, we ask in particular for the following legislative and other measures to be addressed and adopted in these areas, while calling for these departments to cooperate closely and actively and also financially in solving the problems of this target group.
It's quare: No.
Number of persons supporting the petition: 12 470 (of which 1,719 signatures on signatures and 10 751 supporting the petition by electronic means)
Date of delivery: 28.06.2019
Date of equipment: 21.10.2019
Type of equipment: Paragraph 5 (6) of Law No 85/1990 Coll. on petition law in the wording of subsequent regulations " not evaluated
Reason for equipment:

On 28.06.2019, the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic (hereinafter referred to as the Slovak Ministry of Health) received a submission dated 25.6.2019 in the subject marked as THE PIETICIA for solving the daily problems of people with autism, signed by Mgr. Štefan Pogány as Chairman of the Petitions Committee and at the same time as a person designated to represent in contact with a public authority (hereinafter referred to as "the Representative'). The petition was supported and signed by more than 10,000 people in the attached 108 signatures with 1 719 signatures in photocopies and 10 751 persons who signed the petition electronically.

The Department of Control and Complaints (hereinafter referred to as "ÚKAS') of the Slovak Republic as the organisational unit responsible for handling complaints, petitions and submissions in the material scope of the Slovak Republic by examining the submission in question in the light of the material and formal requirements of the petition determined by the relevant provisions of the Act No 85/1990 Coll. on petition law as amended (hereinafter referred to as the Act on Petitions) found that the submission was designated as -PHYSICIA for solving everyday problems of people with autismIt is a petition pursuant to the Act on petition law, since, in accordance with Paragraph 1 (1) of the Act on petition law, Everyone has the right to address public authorities himself or with others in matters of public interest or of other common interest with requests, proposals and complaints (hereinafter referred to as "petition'). Subsequently, the ÚKaS registered the submission in the Special Report of the MZ SR Registry as a petition under sp. zn. Pet 3/2019.

After assessing the content of the petition, the ÚKAS found that a petition supported by more than 10 000 people has the character of an application and in part health signed persons ask MZ SR to solve the problems of people with autism referred to in points 1 and 2 of this petition as follows:

  1. Ensure immediately available early diagnosis with the application of standard diagnostic procedures and all types of therapies (ABA therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, supportive therapies) covered by public health insurance companies. Train a sufficient number of certified diagnostics and therapists to cover all children with PAS waiting for diagnosis for more than 6 months.
  2. Ensure a system of coordinated care for people with autism by linking doctors, clinical psychologists, special and therapeutic educators, logos, social workers, which will make personal access to an individual with autism from childhood to adulthood.

On the basis of the above, the Ministry of the Slovak Republic, as the competent public authority, is obliged, as a matter of fact, to complete the petition in question within the meaning of Article 5 (6) of the Law on Petitions, pursuant to which the public authority competent to handle a petition containing the request or proposal will assess its content and send a written reply together with a statement of reasons to the representative within the period referred to in paragraph 5 in conjunction with Article 5d (1) of the Law on Petitions, in which, if the petition is supported by at least 10 0000 persons, it will be discussed by the competent public authority with the competent authority for the whole territory of the Slovak Republic with the representative and the petition committee. In addition to the discussion with experts of the Slovak Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport, as well as the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, MZ SR by letter of 24.07.2019 in accordance with Section 5 in conjunction with Section 5d of the Act on Petition Law, the Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family informed the representative that the petition will be dealt with within 60 working days of its delivery.

In accordance with § 5d (1) of the Act on petition law, representatives of MZ SR discussed the petition with the representative and the petition committee on 26.09.2019 at MZ SR and sent the petition to the representative by letter dated 04.10.2019. Communication of the outcome of the petition from which we choose.

The main task of the Department of Standard Preventive Diagnostic and Therapeutic Practices (hereinafter referred to as "SPDTP') in the framework of the MZ SR is the coordination and implementation of the project under the name "The development of new and innovative standard clinical procedures and their introduction into medical practice'. These procedures are in the implementation process, which includes legislative changes, the preparation of material and technical equipment, the resolution of human resources, the training of professionals. This is a significant shift, because it is the SDTPs that concentrate the most important and recent scientific knowledge on a specific clinical problem, optimise the decision of the doctor and recommend adequate effective treatment.

From 1 February 2019, general care for children and adolescents (hereinafter referred to as "Pediater") - S-PMV assessment is standardised in the use of SPDTP for physicians specialising in specialization. This standard procedure, which is used by paediatricians, involves the early capture of children with potential autistic spectrum disorder. The standard is also complemented by an internationally valid M-CHAT questionnaire, which is used for early detection of this disease.

However, the definitive diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder may only be made by a specialist doctor in the specialization field of child psychiatry (hereinafter referred to as the "Child psychiatrist') Clinical logopes, in outpatient practice, provide healthcare to patients diagnosed with autism - mainly of child age, at a high professional level, following the Health Professional Code. Autism is one of the diagnoses for which they have been developed in the clinical logopédia, in the frame of evidence based medicine, Brief diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that include completed knowledge, suggestions and feasibility output options.

In Slovakia there are currently more than 650 doctors specializing in specialization in psychiatry, of which about 45 doctors specializing in specialization in children's psychiatry.

The possibility of counting part of the completed specialisation study provided for in Decree-Law No 296/2010, which gives psychiatrists the possibility to achieve specialization in the field of child psychiatry within a period of 2.5 years, may also contribute to the increase in the number of doctors specialising in psychiatry (hereinafter "psychiater") and in the field of child psychiatry. Part of the study can also be included in the Department of Children's Psychiatry.

Inclusion of the Department of Child Psychology into the so-called resident program, i.e. funded specialisation study in this field from state budget resources - Department of Child Psychology is planned for inclusion in the so-called resident program from 1 October 2019.

MZ SR works on the stated intentions also in terms of National Mental Health Programme. It is a programming document created on the principle of a system approach to ensuring mental health care in Slovakia. It describes framework measures in 10 key areas aimed at improving the mental health of the Slovak population. Putting these measures into practice calls for the preparation of a detailed plan for the implementation of the National Mental Health Programme in cooperation with other sectors, with a timetable, responsibility and method of financing the proposed measures.

The instrument to grant subsidies to the health sector is a public invitation to submit applications for the grant of MZ SR in the field the promotion of mental health, which is declared regularly at annual intervals. It is initiated in accordance with the provision of Act No. 525/2010 Coll. on the granting of subsidies in the scope of the Ministry of Health, as amended, under which subsidies in the field of health may also be granted for the purpose of the financial year in question for the purposes of "training of the professional and lay public in the field of prevention awareness raising and health protection–. The implementation of the priority areas for 2019 developed for health sector conditions included the promotion of mental health conservation, psychohygiene, healthy lifestyles, the development of community care for mentally ill - programmes aimed at supporting all age groups, with an emphasis on promoting the preservation of mental health of children and adolescents and the integration of mentally ill into the community.

Any effort to encourage cooperation on this issue is welcome from the Slovak Ministry of Health and will be presented at the upcoming working meeting of specialists in specializations in psychiatry and child psychiatry.

By sending a written reply to the representative of MZ SR, he considers the petition to be equipped in accordance with § 5 (6) of the Act on petition law.

Place: Bratislava– Date:22 October 2019