The Hungarian Government has increased this year’s healthcare budget by 10 billion forints (EUR 32.3 million) for the 2014 healthcare budget, Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog said at a press conference on Monday. He added that the extra money will go to general practitioners, health visitors and dentists. Minister of State for Healthcare Miklós Szócska added that compared to 2009 the budget for basic healthcare was 30 billion forints (EUR 96.9 million) higher, representing a 25 percent increase.

Mr. Balog said that within the general practitioner system 1.8 billion forints will go towards increasing indicator-based performance payments, meaning an increase of 22,000 forints per practice. Payments based on patient numbers will increase by 2.15 billion forints meaning an increase of 26,000 forints per practice, he said, adding that this type of payment remained unchanged for 10 years, while in the last two years it has tripled.

DownloadThe Government has earmarked 500 million forints towards helping fill the 150 vacant GP practices and 250 million for improved communication between GPs. Nurses working full-time with general practices will receive a net pay increase of at least 10,000 forints per month and an additional 250 million forints goes towards financing large practices which have more than one doctor and/or nurse.

Wages of area health visitors will rise by 30,000 forints per month and those assigned to schools will receive an increase rise of 34,000 forints. With this, their wages will almost equal that of their colleagues employed by hospitals.

The budget for financing dental practices will be increased by 1.5 billion forints, of which 816 million will go towards financing dental coverage for disadvantaged regions (100,000 forints per practice) and 684 million forints to finance oral cancer screening and preventative dental care for children.

DownloadMr. Szócska detailed the Government’s healthcare spending record, saying that
•    The financing of stand-by GP services rose from 77.6 billion forints in 2009 to an expected 100 billion this year, an increase of almost 29 percent.
•    Financing for school practices rose to 2.21 billion forints from 1.86 billion, an increase of some 19 percent.
•    Financing for health visitors rose to 19.5 billion forints from 16 billion forints, an increase of almost 22 percent
•    The financing of dental care rose to 25.9 billion forints from 22.6 billion, an increase of 14.5 percent
•    Financing for basic medical care in this year’s budget is 30 billion forints or 25 percent higher than it was in 2009.

(Ministry of Human Resources)