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On September 30, Hungarian hospitals operating as budgetary institutions owed HUF 41.6 billion to providers, according to the latest data from the Hungarian State Treasury. The increase in September is “only” 500 million guilders, one-tenth of the monthly average of 4 to 5 billion this year.
It may seem that Hungarian hospitals have given the floor to Viktor Orbán, who stated on the occasion of the last debt consolidation, in early 2020, that hospitals cannot produce more debt after the 2019 share liquidation. The latest data from the Hungarian State Treasury show a debt of 41.6 billion on September 30, after 41.1 billion at the end of August, that is, the debts increased “only” 444 million HUF instead of the monthly average of 4.6 billion HUF this year.
In the absence of additional resources, we can only guess at the background of the near stagnation of the debt stock. As our newspaper has repeatedly reported, provider organizations have been urging debt settlement as early as possible since the summer, fearing that the second wave of the epidemic will not be possible later, and a letter has been written to the interested ministers. According to our information, as a result of this, the Secretary of State for Health has asked the General Director of Hospital Maintenance ÁEEK to summon the institutions that it maintains to pay out of turn the 35 billion generated in mid-summer to providers. However, the institutions did not receive additional resources for this.
How then could the increase in debt be stopped? Based on the debt consolidation experience so far, it can be said that those with higher debt often performed better, as the higher an institution’s debt, the more additional funds it receives in nominal terms. Therefore, the institutions that were able to do so began to have a reserve, that is, they did not pay the providers, anticipating that they would receive funds for this in the liquidation. However, at the request of the AEEK, they were forced to reach reserves, which seemed to be around 4 billion.
However, despite the stagnation of the debt, the supplier companies are under double pressure, as the total stock exceeds 40,000 million HUF, despite the increase of 440 million in September, which will reach 50,000 million by the end of the year without intervention. This measure is quite onerous, while due to the Covid-19 epidemic, most companies suffer a decrease in billing because the supply system does not work at the usual level – said László Rásky, secretary general of the College of Physicians who represents an important part of our suppliers.
The tension due to the difficult track record can only be resolved with debt settlement as soon as possible, which would also be very necessary for a stable supply of assets during the exacerbation of the epidemic, added the secretary-general.
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