NSSF to pay debt owed to hospitals

One-year plan to absorb backlog debt of NSSF, offer liquidity to private hospitals

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF)’s administrative board adopted a plan to extend monthly credits on the accumulated debt owed to private hospitals.

The NSSF will be offering monthly credits to each hospital equivalent to the average of its owing bills (over 12 months) plus an additional percentage decided according to the date of delayed bills. Hospitals which haven’t received their bills for 12 to 16 months will be receiving 15 percent additional to the average, while those who haven’t received their bills for over 16 months will have a 25 percent additional credit. The agreement is valid for only one year.

This plan is intended to absorb the backlog account owing to hospitals. The NSSF’s debt to hospitals is estimated at around $335 million for NSSF insured patients and $33 million for the optional coverage.

Private hospitals see the NSSF’s arrangement as a temporary solution which does not resolve the real crisis. NSSF officials say the fund suffers fiscal inequity along with a painstaking deficit in human resources.