Feb 18, 2008, 16:01 GMT
Budapest - Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom has signed a bill to introduce private capital into the healthcare system despite reservations over its content, the president's press office said on Monday.
Parliament passed the bill last Monday for the second time after Solyom sent it back for reconsideration in December. Solyom said that the reform bill lacked social and political consensus and the long- term effects were not predictable.
Solyom's office said that the minor changes made only partly addressed his concerns, but that he had no choice but sign the bill into law
'Laszlo Solyom's December objections about the law and the way it was created still remain, but according to the constitution, he must sign it,' Solyom's office said in an emailed statement.
The healthcare bill is part of a series of government measures designed to cut the budget deficit.
The most controversial section of the bill will replace the current central insurance fund with 22 regional bodies, into which private companies can invest up to a level of 49 per cent.
Large sections of society oppose the bill - including main opposition party Fidesz, medical professionals and ordinary members of the public - and there have been many protests against it.
Opponents say that allowing private investors into the system would create a situation where the chronically ill and elderly have to pay more for insurance.
Protests against the bill last Monday ended when police used tear gas to disperse a crowd gathered outside parliament.
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