Published 25 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2566
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2566

News

Five hospitals under threat as Hungary’s largest healthcare privatisation company nears collapse

Max Hotopf

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Hungary’s underfunded public healthcare system has hit a crisis as Hospinvest, the company that dominates hospital privatisation in the country, is on the verge of collapse. The company looks set to hand back five hospitals to the public sector and is talking to external investors to raise more capital.

Hospinvest has debts of two to three billion Hungarian forints (£6m-9m; {euro}7m-11m; $10m-15m) and has said it cannot meet its commitments to install new equipment by specific dates in each hospital. This will mean that the company is in breach of contract with the councils who signed 20-30 year leases giving control of the hospitals to Hospinvest.

Councils have reacted to the crisis in different ways. Hatvan council has decided to take back control of Hatvan hospital whereas the city of Kiskunhalas has agreed to give Hospinvest until 10 July to find new investors. Heves county, which owns Eger hospital, the . . . [Full text of this article]


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