ZAGREB, Feb 19 (Hina) - Members of the parliamentary committee on labour, health and social policy on Thursday did not reach an agreement on the real amount of debts in the health sector, due to the contradictory standpoints of Health
Minister Andrija Hebrang of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and former deputy prime minister and member of the committee Zeljka Antunovic of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),
ZAGREB, Feb 19 (Hina) - Members of the parliamentary committee on
labour, health and social policy on Thursday did not reach an
agreement on the real amount of debts in the health sector, due to the
contradictory standpoints of Health Minister Andrija Hebrang of the
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and former deputy prime minister and
member of the committee Zeljka Antunovic of the Social Democratic
Party (SDP),#L#
Hebrang reiterated that the total debt in the health sector amounted
to 7.3 billion kuna, while Antunovic insisted that the debt was much
smaller. She requested exact data indicating what were the liabilities
and what was the real debt given that the two issues needed to be
separated.
Hebrang said the former administration had illegally used the money of
insurees and spent it on investments instead of on medical treatment.
He said that the 2004 state budget earmarked 800 million kuna more for
the health sector. The minister added that loans and the debt owed
drug suppliers in the amount of three billion kuna would be
transformed into a public debt which would serviced by the Finance
Ministry.
Hebrang also presented the Health Ministry's plans for 2004 including
the drawing up of a new model for additional health insurance. He said
the present additional health insurance plan was illegal.
(Hina) it sb