Governing parties reach agreement on medical fees

In a late-nigh-marathon session on Monday, the leaders of the ruling centre-right coalition agreed to exempt children under the age of six from medical fees, softening an unpopular reform aimed at curbing abuse of the health care system. Late last year, Civic Democrat Health Minister Tomáš Julínek managed to win support for his plan to introduce medical fees for all citizens as of January 2008, but following months of heated debate, the Civic Democrats were forced to make certain concessions to the two smaller governing parties. The Greens and the Christian Democrats wanted children and teenagers, as well as pensioners exempted from having to pay medical fees. The two latter proposals were rejected.