Cablegate: Czech Pm Appoints New Health Minister

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001504

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EINV EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH PM APPOINTS NEW HEALTH MINISTER

1. (U) Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek today named David Rath,
currently President of the Czech Medical Chamber, to replace
Milada Emmerova as Minister of Health. With less than eight
months before the next general election, the move is being
seen as an interim appointment. One of Rath's main tasks will
be to reconcile doctors and the nation's main insurance
company, who have been publicly feuding. Rath, who had been
a member of the opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) 91-94, is
currently unaffiliated and becomes the sixth non-party member
in Paroubek's cabinet. Critics say he was chosen more for
his media skills than his political ideology, since Emmerova
had become a public liability during the doctors - vs-
insurance company dispute.

2. (SBU) Unlike some members of Paroubek's Social Democrats,
Rath is not pathologically opposed to the introduction of
patient fees, a move which many reformists believe is
critical to any effort at health care reform. Rath is a much
greater supporter of doctors in state hospitals than those in
private practice. Rath has also made it known that he would
cut costs by promoting greater use of generic drugs, a move
pharmaceuticals, particularly those producing innnovate
medications, see as threatening. Some pharmaceuticals fear
that Rath will continue or even increase the trend of
lowering reimbursement levels towards those offered for
generic drugs.

3. (U) President Klaus has initially refused to approve of
the nomination, since Rath has not yet stepped down from the
Medical Chamber.
CABANISS

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