Healthcare in Hungary

Uzhoki Hospital, Budapest

Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Pecs

The first hospitals appeared in Hungary in the 13th century, in mining towns. In 1496, the de facto first miners' health insurance company was founded by Janos Turzo. In 1907, the first registered health insurance company was established - the National Fund for Assistance to Sick and Injured Workers ( Hungarian Országos Munkásbetegsegélyező és Balesetbiztosító Pénztár ). In 1928, the National Social Insurance Institute ( Hungarian Országos Társadalombiztosítási Intézet ) was formed, which was the first step towards creating a nationwide health insurance system. In 1938, all social services were formed, which made Hungary the most progressive in terms of insurance from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In the postwar years, the communist government completely nationalized social insurance, making the Hungarian public health system accessible to all Hungarian citizens ^[7] .

After the transition to a free market, a new stage in the transformation of the healthcare system began ^[8] . In 1993, the National Health Foundation was established ( Hungarian. Országos Egészségbiztosítási Pénztár ) ^[9] . The fund, based on the social insurance system ^[8] , is a public organization that controls health insurance in Hungary ^[9] . 83% of the Fund’s financing is made up of taxes ^[10] . Participation in the insurance scheme is mandatory for all employed citizens (including self-employed) ^[11] . Many private clinics are also connected to the Fund ^[9] .

In connection with the previous policy of hiring in Hungarian hospitals, such phenomena as a reduction in doctors and a shortage of nurses are common, which experts consider as unreasonable use of human resources ^[8] . Another typical Hungarian health phenomenon is gifts to doctors in the form of certain amounts in exchange for access to better treatment ^[8] : according to the 2015 Euro Health Index, Hungary was one of the countries where patients most often informally paid doctors for services ^{[ 12]} . Moreover, the provision of medical care for Hungarian and EU citizens, which is recognized as “extremely necessary," is free ^[13] .

Given that the World Bank classifies Hungary as a high-income country , experts claim a well-developed healthcare system. According to statistics, the average arrival time of a car from the National Ambulance Service ( Hungarian. Országos Mentőszolgálat ) is no more than 15 minutes. In 2013, 20 new ambulance stations were built and another 60 were upgraded by purchasing 200 cars ^[14] .

In 2009, a station with a helipad was opened in Sentesh , which allows the transportation of patients by air. In total, there are 7 such large stations in the country in Budaörs , Balatonfüred , Sarmelek , Pec, Sentes, Debrecen and Miskolc . The average helicopter arrival time is also 15 minutes, in the area of ​​the sites - up to 85% of the country. There are helipads in all national and regional hospitals, including the ambulance institutes in Budapest, Pec, Szeged and Debrecen ^{[15] [16]} .

Hungary enjoys fame among tourists as the main direction of medical tourism : the country is, in particular, the leader in dental tourism ^{[17] [18]} , having its share of 42% in Europe and 21% in the world ^{[18] [19]} . In the 1980s, the first such tourists were the Germans of Germany and the Austrians, who were looking for inexpensive and high-quality medical care ^[20] . After the Communists left the post of the ruling party, medical tourism became profitable ^[19] : annually from 60 to 70 thousand people visit Hungary for dental treatment, which brings in this area an income of 65-70 billion forints (about 325-350 million US dollars) ^[18] . The cost of medical services in Hungary ranges from 40 to 70% of the cost of the same services in the UK, USA or the countries of Scandinavia ^[20] . The most popular medical services are dentistry, cosmetic surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular diseases, infertility treatment, dermatology, rejuvenation, the fight against obesity and drug addiction, surgery to correct vision ^[20] . Plastic surgery is also an important sector: up to 30% of clients of plastic surgeons are foreign citizens, the cost of plastic surgery services can be reduced by 40–80% ^[21] . In Hungary there are also a number of hot springs ^[20] (Lake Heviz, Secheni Baths , etc.), popular among tourists ^[21] .

• Hungarian National Food Chain Safety Authority
• The referendum in Hungary (2008)
• List of hospitals in Hungary