More than 21 billion forints can be distributed in the health sector as a result of leftovers found in the health fund, state secretary for health Miklos Szocska said on Friday.
Some 17 billion forints will be spent on hospitals and out-patient facilities. A total of 3 billion forints will be available for emergency services, 1 billion forints on intensive care and 200 million forints on improving "neuro-invasive services," Szocska said.
Some 247 million forints will be granted to cover extra costs of health services, and additional 10 million forints will be spent on those that help treat victims of a bus crash in Egypt last month. A total of 1.7 billion forints will be spent on financing laboratories, Szocska said, adding that an increase in TBC infections had been reported in certain regions.
Additional funding will be made available to improve the working conditions of health care employees, Szocska said. New European Union funding totalling 6.6 billion forints will become available by the end of this year, he said.
Additionally, a 300-million-forint leftover from the "resident fund" will be used to create jobs for GPs and pediatricians, he said. A total of 600 doctors and 16 pharmacists have participated in a resident scholarship scheme, which was more than originally expected.
Government spokesman Andras Giro-Szasz said it was a priority for the government to rescue Hungarian health care. As part of these efforts, the government will do all in its power to improve working conditions and introduce measures to improve the situation of workers.
(MTI)
