Hospital in financial dispute

According to Turner, the Ministry of Health gave the hospital $473,657 this week for services provided during the month of August and it has not paid for September, because the administration has not produced an invoice.

Over the last few months there have been allegations that the Social Security and the Ministry of Health are not paying the $6.5 million they should give every year to the hospital to pay for medication and medical treatment of patients.

The San Miguelito hospital has had financial problems since 2002 and the administrators has been blaming the lack of payment from the the Ministry of Health and the Social Security.

Talking about how the hospital is administered, Turner said the possibility exists that the administration could change from out-sourcing administration to public, but the matter will have to be taken to the National Assembly.

Currently the Ministry of Health and the hospital’s employees are in a process of arbitration over wages and other benefits in kind.