Drug wholesalers: hospitals face foreclosure over unpaid debts

The Coordination of Drug Wholesalers from the Croatian Employers' Association has warned that dozens of hospitals in Croatia face foreclosure over debts owed to the wholesalers. Currently hospitals owe drug wholesalers some €800 million.

According to the President of the Board of Medika and President of the Croatian Employers’ Association Coordination of Wholesale Drugstores, Jasminko Herceg, many health institutions in Croatia have not paid for medicines for more than a year now: "We have already sent out payment notices, which they have not responded to. The 15-day deadline has passed. Now we have sent out reminders before enforcement. The reminders before enforcement expire on the 22nd, 23rd, and then the hospital will be subject to debt enforcement."

The Director General of the Croatian Employers’ Association, Irena Weber, noted that the situation is no longer tenable: "Every month the debt grows by an additional €40 million. This is a massive burden on the budget and threatens the stability of the healthcare system. It's like spending our domestic budget on luxury items and saying, I'm broke and can't pay the bills and somehow thinking that's OK."

Health Minister Irena Hrstić responded immediately on Wednesday, noting that €80 million were recently paid in to cover outstanding debts, and that an additional €150 million will be secured through the budget revision: "I will promise health institutions, drug wholesalers and patients here and now that they do not need to worry about this. The Finance Minister has promised me that when we ensure that there are no new debts and unnecessary delays in payments, we will resolve the entire debt at once."

Source: HRT