Hospitals will have to find another €4m in savings if they are to meet the government budget cuts of €300m, according to an analysis of hospital annual reports by PriceWaterhouseCoopers reported in NRC.

Although hospitals are doing better financially, they need to spend less money and help more people, says PWC.
Hospital care is growing by 4.7% annually, of which just 1.1% comes from demographic changes.
The health ministry is working on an agreement with healthcare insurers to limit the amount of care they buy-in from hospitals, says NRC. The insurers will be expected to limit the growth of hospital care to 2.5%.
From 2012, insurers will no longer be compensated if their hospital costs are over budget. Any overspend will be at their own risk, says the paper.