Government Provides Tens of Billions in Additional Funds for Hospital Debt Settlement
Last year, healthcare institutions received more than HUF 90 billion in support to reduce their overdue liabilities.
Healthcare expenses have significantly increased. However, the government is committed to promptly addressing the liquidity problems of hospitals, hence, it has accepted the Ministry of Interior’s proposal to ensure operational support, the ministry stated.
According to the accepted proposal, HUF 63.4 billion in operational support will be provided to state, municipality, and church-owned healthcare providers offering outpatient and inpatient care, as well as clinical centers operating as part of higher education institutions. The National Health Insurance Fund Manager will allocate the operational support to the healthcare providers by April 30, with the government decree containing the terms of settlement.
In November last year, more than HUF 90.2 billion in support was paid out to reduce the overdue liabilities of healthcare institutions. “We must commit to eliminating deceitful practices!” previously stated Peter Takács, the State Secretary responsible for healthcare. In reference to deceitful practices and employment circulations, the State Secretary mentioned a case where a doctor was accounted for 63 days’ worth of work hours in a month, for which he received a ten-million-forint salary. In relation to the deceit and the HUF 108 billion worth of overdue hospital debt, World Economy reached out to György Velkey, President of the Hungarian Hospital Association (MKSZ), who stated that while there are evident violations within the system, and there are actors who engage in deceitful practices, the vast majority take on a considerable amount of extra work, honestly and in the interest of patients.