The State Health Fund (SZF) and the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) are in a heated argument over the hospital’s Radiology department’s announcement that it will stop accepting referral and guarantee letters as of December 19. The SZF’s interim management team views the radiologists’ writing as impolite and unusual. It is noted that the department has made no promises about radiography fee schedules. According to SZF, the management of AZP and the rates for radiography, blood and blood products, PA lab, and lab services were well in advance discussed. The letter from SZF also surprises the management of AZP.
In a letter to general manager Claudia Redan, the SZF management claims that the service to the insured is still guaranteed. In due consultation, a solution must be discovered. The National Hospital Council (NZR) has engaged in extensive negotiations with the SZF over the prices for radiology, the management of the AZP notes in response to the letter. Redan responds, “Therefore, it is not founded on truth that you have no connection at all with the Department of Radiology regarding the rates for radiology.” Furthermore, the SZF has not submitted a formal application for the approval of any tariffs to the AZP or the NZR.
Because the radiological services cannot be sustained at the existing rates, the administration of the AZP understands how the radiologists feel. The largest department in Suriname, Radiology offers emergency trauma care, operating room, and critical care for both adults and newborns. The only radiological clinic where interventions are carried out is this one. Remote districts are also given complex radiological care.
“We can’t understand why the SZF pays this radiology clinic less than private outpatient facilities that close at the latest five o’clock and are closed on Sundays and public holidays. It also appears that there was no need to consult with the Ministries of Health and Finance before raising the prices for the private clinics, which are currently 80–100% higher than our rates. Due to this unfair approach, the SZF has decided not to provide service guarantees to its policyholders “Redan composes. There is also discussion of the healthcare industry’s perilous financial state, which has unquantifiable effects on people’s quality of life.
