The solution of the question of who will hold a significant position in the Czech Republic – the position of the head of Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna, which has a budget of over 200 billion crowns next year – has been postponed to the beginning of November.
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According to media reports, the current director, Zdeněk Kabátek, would like to be replaced by his current deputy, David Šmehlík, who, according to the findings of the List of Reports, advocated increase in payments private clinic Iscare from the Hartenberg fund from the trust fund of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
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According to the List of Reports, the topic of the key election was to be one of the topics of the night meeting of the outgoing Minister of Health Roman Prymula with the chairman of the ANO movement deputies Jaroslav Faltýnek, where Jiří Havrlant, the head of the Ostrava hospital, was .
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He did not want to comment on the meeting that was to revolve around him. “I do not have specific information about that meeting and I consider the speculation absurd. The situation seems quite chaotic to me, so I would describe it, “he says in an interview for Seznam Zprávy.
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At Monday’s meeting, according to several members of the board of directors, only your name has fallen so far, meaning that you are so far the only candidate for the head of VZP. Why would you possibly want to remain in office?
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Yesterday, only information on the necessary conditions for the election from the point of view of the Act of the Rules of Procedure of the election of the director was specified. Otherwise it was nothing. I do not want to comment on whether I am a nominated candidate.
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But as I have already said in a few questions, there is no fight from the crisis in the crisis and VZP is coping well and with dignity with the whole extraordinary situation surrounding the spread of covid-19, and we have something to build on from previous years. I simply say again that if I should continue to be in my role, I will accept it.
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At the meeting between Minister Roman Prymula and Jaroslav Faltýnka, another candidate for the position of director of the insurance company was to be addressed, among other things. What do you know about that?
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I do not have specific information about that meeting and I consider the speculation absurd. The situation seems quite chaotic to me, so I would call it that.
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According to Czech Television, the deputy insurance company David Šmehlík was supposed to take part in the meeting. Did you discuss it with him personally, whether he was there or not?
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The Deputy issued a press statement and yesterday, when we had a working meeting, he assured me that the press statement was correct and true, and I have no reason to doubt it. I’m not a speculator.
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Jiří Havrlant, the head of the Ostrava hospital, who also bowed as a possible candidate for the position of head of the insurance company, also took part in the meeting.
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I repeat that those speculations are absurd. I wasn’t there, so I have nothing to say.
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Didn’t Mr. Faltynek specifically contact you in any way?
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No, I last saw Mr Faltynek in the House, but that is history. I did not discuss anything with him in connection with this meeting.
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So don’t you see that people from the YES movement are trying to find a candidate who has a majority on the board?
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First of all, it is decided by the board of directors, it is not YES. And I am obliged to respect the decisions of the council, so I do not want to comment on it anymore.
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At the end of August, it was to be at the last minute that the new boss would be elected on the basis of a selection procedure. How did you perceive that?
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I am a professional manager and I do not comment on these things. As long as I have a contract, I want to manage the insurance company as best I can and the decision is on the board of directors by law.
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After your re-election in 2016, the Prime Minister called you a representative of the era of corruption and bribery. So you didn’t feel any pressure from him? How can you get along?
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I have a completely correct relationship with the Prime Minister. Even with Mr. Šmehlík. I meet Andrej Babiš at various events and we have no problem together. I did not feel any pressure on me from anyone’s side and, moreover, I did not officially talk to anyone about my candidacy. I didn’t discuss it with anyone either.
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You have been associated, for example, with former Deputy Minister of Health Marek Šnajdr, who is referred to by the Prime Minister as the “godfather of Czech healthcare”. What is your relationship like now?
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We have a perfectly fair relationship, he was my boss, then he was a member of the board, and after he left, there is no cooperation. He can’t either, because there’s no reason here. At the very beginning of my mandate, I said that I wanted to show that the insurance company would be managed very transparently, and we would blow up any cases associated with it. And speculation about who can or can’t influence me is wrong, I’ve never been influenced by anyone, and I think that the insurance company’s results for the last eight years prove it.
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So you don’t see him, don’t you have meetings together?
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No, we do not have. I never had any relationship with him other than work and colleagues. The deputy has always treated me well. And I’m raised in such a way that if someone treats me politely, I repay them equally.
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Marek Šnajdr
to this day, he has a reputation as an influential figure in the Czech healthcare system with ties to the VZP insurance company. The ODS ambassador served as Deputy Minister of Health and also as a member of the VZP Board of Directors. He was prosecuted in 2013 in the case of so-called parliamentary newsagents.
He was even investigated in custody, but in the end the case did not even go to court and the exposlance had to be compensated by the state. He later withdrew from politics and focused only on consulting.
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