Audit office: Hungarian hospitals, clinics under ‘chaotic’ financial management

The Hungarian Audit Office (ASZ) 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.

In an interview published on Monday, 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 choose services or suppliers, or neglected to inventory parts of the equipment, Domokos said. This made it impossible to determine the institute’s actual stock of certain items, he said.

The “severe irregularities” make it unclear how much funding the health care sector really needs, Domokos said.

ASZ has found two Budapest clinics which complied with regulations and spent public funds efficiently and effectively, he said. These institutions succeeded in staying within budget, he said.

“The health care sector needs a paradigm change,” Domokos said. A solution would be a leadership shake-up, he said, with Human Resources Minister Miklós Kasler appointing new heads or possibly merging the financial managements of certain institutes, he said.

ASZ is preparing the systematic review of the emergency services, Domokos said.

Featured image: www.honvedkorhaz.hu

Source: MTI