Hospital directors countrywide will jointly bring legal actions against the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) before the Sofia City Court on October 4 for 125 million leva due to the hospitals by the NHIF for hospital care provided under clinical pathways in March, April, May and June 2010.

The decision was adopted by the Governing Board of the National Association of Hospital Care Doctors (NAHCD) at an open meeting on Monday. For the time being, more than 40 hospitals across the country have expressed readiness to sue the NHIF, said Association President Dincho Genev.

At an extraordinary convention of the Bulgarian Medical Association on September 17, the NAHCD will propose that doctors stage their national protest also on October 4.

Genev said that hospital directors must take legal action for the amounts due for work performed because otherwise they may incur liability for mismanagement and infliction of financial damage on the medical-treatment facility.

The NAHCD President said that the principal obstacle to the filing of the statements of action is the requirement to deposit a stamp duty at the rate of 4 per cent of the amount sought, which will subsequently be refunded, but given their current financial situation, hospitals find it difficult to raise even that small amount.

Source: BTA