No agreement reached on compensation for scrapped hospital fees

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and Finance Minister Andrej Babiš on Tuesday failed to reach agreement on a state contribution to hospitals in compensation for the hospital fees that were scrapped at the beginning of this year. Although the government has approved a proposal to give hospitals 2.1 billion crowns in 2014 the two sides are still at odds over what financial assistance hospitals should get in the coming years. Finance Minister Babiš argues that hospitals could save vast amounts of money though better management and is opposed to generous hand-outs from state coffers. The issue will be debated again at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.