Patients and medicine producers oppose new health ministry order

Several patients' associations and producers of medicine have been calling onto the Health Ministry to revoke an order that transfers the rights to buy some medicine to hospitals. As of January 1, hospitals instead of the country's biggest health insurer, VZP, will be responsible for the acquisition of expensive medicine. Health Minister David Rath made the decision in order to lower the 14 billion crown debt of the VZP, which was put under forced administration earlier this month. Patients fear that hospitals would use the money to settle their debts instead of buy medicine and producers say they would have no guarantee that their medicine will be bought.