Audit Office: Hospitals, Clinics Under ‘Chaotic’ Financial Management
- 7 Aug 2018 6:38 AM
- Hungary Matters
The Hungarian Audit Office (ÁSZ) has completed an audit of hospitals and health clinics, and found their financial management to be often “scandalous and chaotic”, László Domokos, the office’s head, told the daily Magyar Idők.
Domokos said that the audits have uncovered a “systemic neglect of the most basic regulations” at health clinics. The heads of the clinics often made false statements of management practices, which further harmed transparency, he said.
Many hospitals did not use public procurement tenders to select services or suppliers, or neglected to inventory parts of the equipment. This made it impossible to determine the institute’s actual stock of certain items.
The “severe irregularities” make it unclear how much funding the health care sector really needs. ÁSZ has found merely two Budapest clinics which complied with regulations and spent public funds efficiently and effectively.
These institutions succeeded in staying within budget, Domokos said. “The health care sector needs a paradigm change,” Domokos said.
A solution would be a leadership shakeup, with Human Resources Minister Miklós Kásler appointing new heads or possibly merging the financial managements of certain institutes. ÁSZ is preparing the systematic review of the emergency services, Domokos said.
XpatLoop Media Partner
LATEST NEWS IN health & wellness