Dying of debt

Wrocław's Academic Clinical Hospital (ASK) may soon be shut down due to debts of over zł.200 million, which includes zł.65 million scheduled for immediate collection.

Last week, zł.12.6 million originally designated for ASK's employees' salaries and hospital operations was transferred by the National Health Fund (NFZ) to a debt collector's account instead of to the hospital.

The events came about as a result of a verdict by Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, which stated on January 9 that the NFZ must now pay debt collectors everything they are owed by Polish hospitals. Previously, debt collectors were entitled to only 25 percent of NFZ money transfers to the hospitals.

Jerzy Rudnicki from Wrocław's Medical Academy told Gazeta Wyborcza that if no solution could be found soon, hospital officials could decide to stop admitting patients.

Health Minister Zbigniew Religa emphasized that the operations of Poland's key hospitals are not in danger and promised help to hospitals with their debts. According to the Minister, the government will propose a new law that would help all hospitals with a strategic importance to Poles' health turn their short-term debts into long-term ones.

In addition, there is a source from which the poorest of Poland's hospitals could receive aid. However, before the money for this zł.600-million fund can be dispatched, the Ministry wants to receive recovery plans from each hospital.