Health insurer bows to doctors' demands

The Czech Republic's largest health insurer VZP has bowed to demands from general practitioners to increase its payments to doctors for treating its subscribers. The moves take place after doctors across the country staged their third one-day strike of the year on Wednesday in protest at what union representatives say are poor pay conditions. The Association of Czech GPs maintains that primary medical care is deeply undervalued in this country, which puts financial pressures on doctors and limits their ability to provide quality services.

In bowing to the doctors' demands for higher fees, the VZP health insurer said it would now have to cancel planned extra payments for doctor's surgeries that were performing particularly well or operating in areas where there was a shortage of medical services.