By: Dr Matevž Tomšič
Those who declared in April 2022 that they had liberated us from the “dictatorship” are surrounded by numerous enemies. The latest such group are the doctors, united in the Fides union. They decided to go on strike some time ago, which has now been going on for several weeks (the longest among all doctor strikes).
Instead of addressing the problems highlighted by the doctors, Golob’s government has decided to discredit them through its media and civil society exponents. These portray doctors as a pack of greedy individuals who are only concerned about their earnings, while we “know” that they are already (over)paid; and we also “know” that they “slack off” during their public service hours in the morning, so they can make extra money in the afternoon working for private healthcare providers. Admittedly, some imprudent statements by certain doctors support this narrative, such as one who claimed to earn less than a cleaner.
Despite all the moralising outrage against those doctors who work for private practitioners in the afternoon, we can question how banning such practices would affect the accessibility of healthcare services. Most likely, not positively. Waiting lists would only get longer, as fewer services would be provided each day. Such righteousness, which outwardly advocates for the preservation of public healthcare and condemns private initiatives, ultimately harms patients. Furthermore, it entails hypocrisy. Some of the very vocal and publicly prominent advocates of public healthcare, such as former President Milan Kučan, have no qualms about using private healthcare services when it comes to their own health, for instance, in Switzerland.
GROUPS CONSIDERED AS SUCH BY THE RADICAL LEFT ARE LARGELY THE SAME AS DURING THE PREVIOUS REGIME. THESE INCLUDE ENTREPRENEURS, FARMERS, CATHOLICS, AND OF COURSE, ANYONE WHO ADVOCATES “WRONG” IDEAS AND OPPOSES THE “ONLY RIGHT” POLITICS. IN THE CURRENT JARGON, THEY ARE ALL LABELLED AS “JANŠISTS”.
Currently, doctors are being accused by the ruling party and their apologists of endangering citizens in need of their help by going on strike to achieve their goals. However, it is the government that did not abide by the agreement it signed. Last year, the then Minister of Health, Danijel Bešić Loredan, signed an agreement with the medical union regarding the regulation of salary relations. But now Golob and his associates act as if they have nothing to do with it. They claim that the circumstances have simply changed. His propagandists attempt to blame the former minister responsible for this. As if he had negotiated the agreement on his own, without the government’s knowledge.
Such a flippant attitude towards concluded agreements is a very poor foundation for establishing mutual trust. If the government does not adhere to the latest agreement, how can it be trusted to uphold a new one? Doctors are certainly also bothered by its demeaning attitude towards their profession. Government representatives rarely take the time to talk to them about the problems plaguing Slovenian healthcare. Instead, they are always ready to listen to various amateur ultra-leftist activists, such as those who call themselves the Voice of the People. These activists then impose their nonsensical ideas on doctors (as well as everyone else) in the limelight of dominant media.
It seems that doctors are considered disruptive simply because they are not “under control”. Their union, Fides, is one of the few unions not associated with the transitional networks that dominate the current ruling politics. Therefore, the accusations of political motivation behind their strike activities, allegedly serving the interests of the largest opposition party, are largely disingenuous. In reality, some other unions are an extension of left-wing politics. This was evident during the previous government when their leaders actively participated in its overthrow.
The list of “internal enemies” is getting longer and longer. The groups considered as such by the radical left are largely the same as during the previous regime. These include entrepreneurs, farmers, Catholics, and of course, anyone who advocates “wrong” ideas and opposes the “only right” politics. In the current jargon, they are all labelled as “Janšists”.