Government: State Hospitals to Receive Additional Funds Worth €191 million

Bratislava, May 2 (TASR) - State hospitals will be given additional funding worth €191 million, according to information on measures to support the financial health of public hospitals under the remit of the Health Ministry, which the government took note of on Thursday. The hospitals will also receive an extra €70 million to cover an increase in work due to shorter waiting times, the introduction of the DRG system, and efforts to optimise the hospital network. "Without additional funding for inpatient health care, hospitals would be at risk of incurring further debt in 2024. The Slovak Republic is facing a lawsuit from the European Commission before the European Court of Justice for late payments by state hospitals. The Commission is calling on the Slovak Republic to address the problem systemically, as repeated rounds of eliminating debt have failed to do so. Remedying the situation and ending a state of indebtedness could have a major impact on the level of sanctions, which are likely to be decided this year," said the Health Ministry. The ministry added that also from the European Commission's perspective, resources alone won't be a sufficient measure, and so additional funds will be linked to systemic improvements measured through key performance indicators. Measures will focus on strengthening control, financial accountability and internal processes, but also on the work-rate and efficiency of hospitals. am/df