The debt of hospitals to drug wholesalers exceeded 800 million euros at the end of September, of which around 600 million is overdue and unpaid, the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) warned on Wednesday, pointing out that the debt is growing by another 40 million euros every month, and 34 hospitals are threatened with foreclosure, it writes. HRT.
The situation is unsustainable, they say, and they are demanding an urgent payment of at least 500 million euros by the end of the year. The government is being informed monthly about the amount of debt, 80 million euros have been approved for rehabilitation, but that is not enough. Dozens of hospitals are facing foreclosure, domestic drug manufacturers are also at risk, but most importantly - patients. Representatives of drug wholesalers are therefore seeking a systematic, long-term solution.
'Warnings are expiring – now foreclosures against hospitals are starting'
President of the Management Board of Medika and President of the HUP – Coordination of Wholesale Drugstores Jasminko Herceg, confirmed that formal legal proceedings have been initiated against hospitals that fail to pay their debts.
– We have already sent out payment requests, which they have not responded to. The 15-day deadline has passed, now we have sent out reminders before enforcement. The reminders before enforcement expire on the 22nd and 23rd, and then the hospital will be enforced, said Herceg.
He added that the healthcare system cannot function if medicines are not paid for for more than a year, warning that this is not pressure, but a necessary protection of business and patient supply.
Debt grows by 40 million euros every month
CEO of HUP Irena Weber He says that the problem is not new and that the debt has been accumulating for years due to structural weaknesses in the healthcare system.
– Every month the debt grows by an additional 40 million euros. This is a huge debt that burdens the budget and threatens the stability of the healthcare system – said Weber.
She vividly compared the situation to a household budget: "It's like spending our salary on everything at home and saying: I've spent it all, I can't pay the bills and that's okay. That's not normal and it can't last."
The problem is unrealistic budgeting of system costs.
Vice President of the HUP-Coordination of Wholesale Drugstores Jasmin the Huljaj He emphasized that it is important that the Ministry of Finance and the Government be involved in solving the problem, because this problem goes beyond the Ministry of Health alone.
- The outcome of the entire problem is unrealistic budgeting of the costs of the public healthcare system. This total loss, which the system realizes over the years, is transferred to debts to drug wholesalers as the strongest part of the system in terms of financing, he explained.
President of the Croatian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association (HUP) Ana Gongola She stated that, regardless of the tensions in the system, manufacturers, in collaboration with colleagues from drugstores and pharmacists, ensured that all patients were supplied.
- Patients are not at risk. That's why there is such a large debt, because despite that debt, we are continuously delivering medicines and there is no threat there. However, now is the time to find a solution, she said.
Source: HRT
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