The European directives emphasise the continuous professional development of healthcare professionals, ensuring that knowledge, skills and competences are restored in order to maintain a safe and efficient career and keep pace with developments. They require the Member States to ensure the training of health professionals in question and leave to their responsibility how they fulfil this obligation.
The Slovak Republic fulfils this commitment through conceptual and strategic materials and legislation of the Department of Health.
Law No 578/2004 The Z. z. on healthcare providers, health workers, health professional organisations and on amendments to certain laws as amended are defined as continuous training such as continuous renewal, deepening and maintaining acquired professional competence in accordance with the development of the relevant disciplines throughout the exercise of the health profession. Continuous training for health professionals of the relevant health profession is provided by the employer, professional companies of the Slovak Medical Society and the Chamber in which the healthcare professional is registered, alone or in cooperation with educational establishments or other internationally recognised professional companies or professional associations and providers.
The health care professional's obligation to continue to be trained for the period of crisis (exceptional, emergency or emergency) due to COVID-19 is deemed to be met if the healthcare professional fulfils the conditions for the assessment of continuing education within 180 days of the date on which the COVID-19 disease emergency was withdrawn.
By order No 446 of 13 September 2023 of the Government of the Slovak Republic on the proposal to remove the emergency situation in connection with the threat of public health level II due to the disease COVID-19 caused by the corona of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the Slovak Republic, the Government of the Slovak Republic approved the proposal in question and15 September 2023 at 06:00 was an emergency in connection with the threat to public health due to COVID-19 disease caused by the corona SARS-CoV-2 virus for the territory of the Slovak Republic appealed.
The evaluation of continuing education shall be carried out by the Chamber competent to maintain the register itself or in cooperation with an internationally recognised organisation for the allocation of credits for the continuous training of healthcare professionals in the relevant healthcare profession. The criteria and method of evaluation of the continuing training of health workers should be implemented in accordance with the Decree of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic No. 74/2019 Coll. on the criteria and method of evaluation of the continuous training of health professionals, which is available https://www.slov-lex.sk/legal-regulations/EN/ZZ/2019/74/20190315