Stroke centres short of money

Czech centres for stroke treatment and rehabilitation have warned that due to low payments from insurance companies they are running into financial difficulties. The head of the Czech Neurological Society Ondřej Škoda said that unless local hospitals share the financial burden many of these specialized centres may be forced to restrict the number of patients they take on in the second half of 2011. The largest Czech health insurer VZP has said it is ready to negotiate the matter. Stroke is the second biggest killer in the Czech Republic.