Five regional hospitals offer subsidies on health care fees

Five regional hospitals in central Bohemia are offering patients a chance to sign up for subsidies countering mandatory health fees introduced by the government last year. In January 2008, the government introduced controversial fees aimed at reforming the health care system, requiring patients to pay 30 crowns per visit to the doctor’s and 60 crowns per day spent in hospital. The region of central Bohemia is the first to provide the subsidies on patients’ behalf – in keeping with a pre-election promise by the Social Democrats last year. Other regions with local Social Democrat-led governments are now expected to follow suit. While many have welcomed the development, TV Nova and other sources have reported that dozens of hospital visitors on Friday turned down the offer of subsidies, opting to pay the government’s health fees “on principle”.