The Ministry of Finance is not interested in a million euros from healthcare

While introducing additional taxes to solve the budget deficit, the Ministry of Finance is not interested in how the 1,1 million euros that 32 health institutions collect annually from co-payments for health services are spent.

This is the job, they claim, of the Ministry of Health, which, however, said that they are obliged to control only the work but not the coffers of health institutions. They believe that it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and the Health Fund, because income and expenditure must be shown in the final budget account.

The supervisory body, the Health Insurance Fund, did not want to tell "Vijesta" how many times a year it controls the accounts of health institutions and what the money is really spent on.

The Ministry of Finance is also incompetent to answer why this money does not go to the state budget, but health centers, hospitals and the Clinical Center dispose of it themselves.

According to the Law on the Budget, the Fund is obliged, before submitting a request for the approval of funds, to submit a monthly income report to the Ministry of Finance

"Vijesti" previously published information from the Health Insurance Fund that the income from co-payments for 2012 was about 1.161.000 euros for 32 health institutions.

According to the calculation of the Fund for all health institutions, it amounts to 97 thousand euros per month. This money is spent by public health institutions for current needs.

From the Clinical Center "Vijesta" it was previously announced that they pay for consultants and education with around 300.000 euros per year. However, the spokesperson of the largest Montenegrin health center, Gorica Soković, did not answer how many consultants were hired on a monthly basis and for how much money.

There was also no explanation of how much is allocated per month for education, which, allegedly, is also paid for from income based on co-payments and to which accounts money from co-payments is paid.

"Participation is prescribed in accordance with the Decision on the participation of insured persons in the costs of using health care and in accordance with the Law on Health Insurance. Given that the legal regulation in the field of the health sector is regulated by the competent ministry, i.e. The Ministry of Health, for answers to your questions, we refer you to this institution", the Ministry of Finance, headed by Radoje Žugić, replied to "Vijesti".

The PR service of the Ministry of Health, which is headed by Miodrag Radunović, stated in their response to "Vijesta" that the Fund, according to the Budget Law, is obliged, before submitting an application for the approval of funds, to submit a monthly income report to the Ministry of Finance.

They clarified that the Cash Flow Reports for health care institutions are designed so that budget revenues and expenditures are reported separately, as well as other revenues and expenditures that are financed from those revenues and are controlled by the budget.

"Although public health institutions are not included in the Treasury's consolidated account, they are obliged to submit reports on receipts and expenditures that are an integral part of the final account of the state budget. The revenues that public health institutions obtain from their own activities can be used to finance current and capital expenditures within the annual financial plan," the Ministry of Health's response states.

They explain that "according to tax regulations, public health institutions are non-profit organizations and are not covered by fiscalization".

"Health services, according to our regulations and EU directives, are exempt from paying VAT, which is why they are exempt from the obligation to issue fiscal invoices," it is explained.

According to the Report on the work and business of the Health Insurance Fund for the year 2011, published on their website, in addition to participations, these "non-profit organizations" earned about 11 million euros based on their "own activities" in that year.

Income collected in cash, for services provided to other users, on the basis of traineeship refunds from the Employment Service, income from equipment and business space rentals are recorded as own activities. Revenues from the budget and the Ministry of Health based on projects were also recorded.

The Ministry of Health says that public health institutions keep records of collected co-payments, and the collected money is regularly paid into the giro account of the institution and is used to perform activities, i.e. to cover current expenses.

The Fund formally checks everything, but remains silent

The PR department of the Health Insurance Fund confirmed that the Law on Health Insurance and by-laws stipulate that the Fund controls the execution of contractual obligations arising from contracts concluded by the Fund with health service providers.

"According to the annual plan, the Fund controls the execution of contractual obligations of health institutions, which includes the control of the calculation of the participation of insured persons in the costs of using health care, i.e. participation.

After the inspection, a report on the inspection is drawn up, which contains the results of the inspection and possible omissions and irregularities, as well as conclusions with proposed measures that depend on the established factual situation.

All possible irregularities determined by the control, the health institution is obliged to eliminate in accordance with the proposed measures in the control report", is the Fund's answer to the question of how many times a year they control the way in which co-payments are collected in public health institutions and what that money is spent on and what are the results of those controls. The Fund provided "Vijesti" with the same answer as the Ministry of Health when it comes to jurisdiction over the control and obligations of public health institutions.

Everything according to protocol to the Ministry of Health

The PR service of the Ministry of Health states that the Decision on the participation of insured persons in the costs of using health care prescribes that the insured persons pay the participation directly in the health institution, and for that amount the health institution reduces the calculation of its services to the Fund, through a monthly invoice.

They explain that according to the Law on Health Care, health institutions, founded by the state, are independent legal entities that have management and leadership bodies, as well as open giro accounts in commercial banks.

As for their authority over state healthcare institutions, the PR department of the Fund states that when collecting co-payments, the healthcare institution is required to provide a receipt on which the name of the healthcare facility, the receipt number, the name and surname of the insured person, the name of the service provided, the amount of the co-payment is recorded. and the date of payment of the co-payment.

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