The Association of Medical Devices Manufacturers (OSZ) welcomes the Hungarian Government's decision to settle 90 billion HUF from the overdue debts of Hungarian inpatient care institutions.
By Decree No. 507/2023 (XI. 17.) published in the Hungarian Gazette on 17 November 2023, the Government settles 90 billion HUF from the overdue debts of hospitals. This debt settlement is indispensable to maintain the operating capability of the Hungarian health care system, therefore the Government of Hungary acted responsibly in taking this decision.
At the same time, OSZ draws the attention of the Government to the fact that this step can only be considered just as fire-fighting. According to our calculations, the overdue debt of the health care institutes is currently 130 billion HUF, which is constantly increasing due to funding shortfalls. This means that despite this debt settlement, the overdue debt of hospitals could reach HUF 50 billion by the end of the year.
Despite the fact that the operating costs of the institutions will be borne entirely by the Directorate General for Public Procurement and Supply (KEF) from 1 January 2024, if the government does not intervene for another year and ease the burden on hospitals and, through them suppliers, the overdue debt could again exceed HUF 100 billion by the end of next year.
This would mean that the financial deficit of the healthcare system is perpetuated in the double of the annual debt stocks of the more than last decade.
OSZ therefore calls on the Government of Hungary to continuously monitor the development of the debt stock and, until the reform of the healthcare system financing is implemented, to keep the overdue debt stock of hospitals at a bearable level by regularly providing additional budget resources.
Budapest, 18.11.2023 08:00