VZP to shorten length of late payments

The country's largest state-owned health insurance company, VZP, has promised to shorten the length of late payments to hospitals and especially privately-run emergency clinics. The head of the VZP, Jirina Musilkova, said on Monday that until now the insurer had shortened the length of late payments from 45 days to 29, saying she expected the trend to continue. The VZP owes unpaid millions of crowns to doctors and health facilities. Newly-named Health Minister David Rath said at the weekend that the VZP - which he accused of not cooperating with previous administrations - needed to improve its financial situation in the coming weeks.