Higher fees or strike

Hospitals urge Cabinet to amend tariffs

The Syndicate of Private Hospitals said that it will stop receiving patients admitted through the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) starting Monday (April 30) in an open-ended strike. The syndicate said that the strike will only be suspended when its demand to raise hospitalization fees is met.

Private hospitals gave patients admitted for kidney dialysis and chemotherapy a two-week grace period to transfer to government hospitals.

The hospitals went on a similar strike last March, but then suspended it after winning the attention of Cabinet. 

Hospitals argue that hospitalization tariffs have not been changed since 1994. 

In 2009, a Cabinet decision called to unify hospitalization tariffs for all public health coverage funds. The NSSF failed to comply with the decision due to its deficit.

Reported by Hanadi Chami