PM admits changes to healthcare fees possible

Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek has admitted the country’s new system of healthcare fees may see changes following detailed analysis. Speaking on a TV debate programme on Sunday he said that he was willing to make some concessions on the issue but stressed that the more exceptions there were, the less effective the system would be. Fees for visits to the doctor’s, hospitals, and emergency wards were introduced in January as part of the government’s reform package. Since then, they have been strongly criticised by the opposition. This week a deputy leader of coalition member the Christian Democrats put forward her own proposal for the abolishment of fees for newborns in hospitals, a proposal the prime minister expects will be withdrawn.