Health Care In The Czech Republic

The cost of health care services in the Czech Republic rose only 1.9% in January 1995 over January 1994, reports CTK Business News. It also notes that the municipal authorities in the capital, Prague, plan to spend 178 million koruna ($6.4 million) this year on health care under the city's draft budget, which was to be approved on February 23.

Meantime, Hornicka Zamestnanecka Zdravotni Pojistovna, the Republic's largest employee health insurer with 850,000 clients, denies that it is heading for bankruptcy, reports Business news. The company said the sharply rising costs of health care and medicines, and higher claims from doctors, have sometimes caused a delay in HZZP meeting payment claims from doctors, but added that health insurance in general is providing higher income for medicines producers and traders.

- South Africa's Pretoria-based Megkong company seeks to establish a joint venture with a Czech company within the pharmaceutical industry, reports Business News. Megkong is offering a license based on the fully-automated AUTOSTER system for the production of sterile solutions. Details from: Svaz Prumyslu a Dopravy CR, Mikulandska 7, 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic. phone: +42 2 2491 5679.