The Cantonal Hospital in Bihac will reach for a loan of two million marks this year as well to avoid bankruptcy and enable the normal functioning of this health institution.
The Government of the Una-Sana Canton (USC) gave its consent at the recently held session for the mentioned indebtedness, and the green light of the Assembly of the USC is expected, which will decide on it soon.
It was emphasized by the management of the Cantonal Hospital that this is a regular loan practice, which is realized every year, and the loan is taken for 12 months.
This health facility has been in big trouble for a few months now after its bank account was blocked on several occasions due to a lawsuit filed by a medical equipment supplier who was demanding payment of arrears.
Hajrudin Havic, the director of the Cantonal Hospital, pointedout that this is a debt of three million marks with interest included.
“Earlier, we also paid other debts inherited from previous years, and only interest, so all this creates huge difficulties in our business,” told Havic.
Every year, the hospital operates with large losses, and their biggest issue is the large number of uninsured persons in the USC. Records show that in the area of this canton, out of the total number of inhabitants, uninsured persons make thirty percent, of which a large number of them are in a state of health and social need.
“Even though the legal solutions state that the rights of uninsured persons are financed from the budget of cantons or municipalities, it is not done in that way. This means that the costs of treatment of such persons are left for the hospital only, and it is impossible to collect them later,” they said in this institution.
Years of accumulated costs in past years have resulted in the inability to pay debts to suppliers, as well as current operating costs. All this leads to the blocking of accounts and forced payments, and such situations are resolved with loans or credits, so the debts of this institution have accumulated over the years, which now amount to over 12.5 million marks. An additional problem is a fact that the hospital continues to operate with reduced capacity, given that not all departments of that health facility that have been damaged in a large fire that occurred seven years ago were rebuilt.
