The Association of Medical Devices Manufacturers (OSZ) draws the attention of the Government of Hungary to the fact that the steps taken by the Government to partially settle the overdue debts of hospitals are not sufficient, and if no action is taken to settle the overdue claims of economic operators independent of the state, patient care may be stopped in several institutions, for example due to a lack of equipment.
As reported by the Hungarian State Treasury, the outstanding debt of hospitals and back-up institutions under the budget amounted to HUF 70.2 billion on 30 June. Including the four medical universities, the debt stock reached HUF 86.5 billion, a historic record.
According to official sources, the Hungarian government will allocate HUF 39.3 billion in July to finance the overheads of state-run inpatient care institutions, and only that. Taking into account that energy suppliers are state-owned and that the payment of
bills issued by other economic operators, such as the companies of the Prison Service, is a general priority, it can be said that the Hungarian State is so far concentrating its budget resources exclusively on improving the situation of the companies it has
interest in.
In accordance with a survey by the OSZ, at least half of the overdue debt is owed to companies supplying medical technologies, including medical devices. As these technologies are essential for high quality healthcare, their possible loss from patient
care due to the extremely poor financing situation poses serious risks.
For these reasons, OSZ urges the Government to ensure adequate funding for health institutions and to help hospitals pay off outstanding debts to all suppliers as soon as possible, before the summer.
