Difficult times at homes for seniors

Dozens of facilities aimed at taking care of senior citizens are facing financial difficulties because the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry is holding back money for running them, SME daily reports. The institutions that run the activities in question haven't received the contributions that they are supposed to obtain every year from the ministry. In the meantime they have been borrowing money and saving funds by not paying salaries to their employees, for example. As many as 37 facilities haven't been given the money. A total of almost 8 million euro has been held back. According to the ministry spokesperson, Barbora Petrová, the reason for this situation is that the ministry is obliged to use public resources efficiently and purposefully. Some facilities may have to wait weeks for the money because the law states that the ministry has to publish contracts in the central contracts registry, after which it has ten more days to send the money.