Government approves further loan for loss-making health insurer VZP

The government in resignation has approved a loan of CZK 1 billion to the country’s biggest health insurance company VZP. The minister of health, Martin Holcát, confirmed the decision after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The interest-free loan fills a large gap in the VZP’s budget and means it will now be able to meet payments for health procedures for the rest of this year. The government approved another loan, for CZK 700,000, three weeks ago. The combined figure is less than the CZK 2.5 billion that the loss-making insurer had been seeking.

Author: Ian Willoughby