Companies delivering products and services for the health care system under public contracts are requesting that penalties be lowered to no more than 0.1% for every day of delay and 5% for failure to deliver, from the current 1% and 50% penalties, respectively.

The Economic Council to the Prime Minister said in a press release the request was made during a meeting of the working group to eliminate constraints to doing business. The contractors said they want to enjoy the same preferential conditions currently enjoyed by the state-run Centralized Health Care Procurement Center, which pays penalties ten times lower for the same breaches of contract.

The companies said the current penalties imposed by the state are too drastic and this can lead to rising prices in the heath care system, while also discouraging companies from participating in health care public tenders.

In response, Ministry of Health representatives say many public contractors in the health care system are irresponsible and the state cannot afford to risk when drugs critical to patients are involved. Within two weeks, the Ministry will submit to the Economic Council its response to the contractors’ request, after which the Council will hold another meeting to formulate a common opinion.