PMU Initiates Procedure for Possible Cartel among Health-care Entrepreneurs

Bratislava, March 3 (TASR) - The Slovak Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) on February 7 launched administrative proceedings regarding a possible cartel agreement between entrepreneurs in the field of in-patient health care, the authority has reported on its website. "This step is the result of an investigation in which PMU carried out unannounced inspections and obtained documents and information indicating that four entrepreneurs operating in this sector cooperated when setting prices, coordinated their stances in negotiations with health-insurance companies and exchanged sensitive commercial information," stated the PMU. The office stressed that the launch of administrative proceedings doesn't necessarily mean that the entrepreneurs infringed the rules of competition, nor is PMU prejudging the conclusions that it may reach in its decision. "PMU won't provide any further information on the case at this stage of the proceedings," it added. am/df