Over 800 Hungarian doctors requested a certificate to practise outside of the country last year, bringing the total number issued over the past decade to 8,500. In a country already saddled with a ratio of over 33,000 doctors for a 9.7 million population (roughly 3.5 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants), the understaffed facilities and long waiting periods could lead to disaster.
The staffing problem in Hungary during the COVID-19 pandemic was exposed with stark consequences. Péter Körmendi treated patients in intensive care units both in Hungary and neighbouring Austria. He now works in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, yet maintains a residence in Sopron, Hungary. He is also an admin of the Facebook group for Hungarian doctors in Austria with over a thousand members. The Facebook group for Hungarian doctors working in Germany has over 2,500 members.
The state rolled out an 11% pay rise for healthcare professionals in February 2023, meaning doctors out of the university are now paid a gross of €1,800 per month. The gap between public and private healthcare is widening, with a relatively small portion of the population being able to access private healthcare.
Doktor24, a private healthcare provider co-owned by Lancz, offers a wide range of services for hefty prices: cardiology consultation for €90 and arthroscopic knee surgery starting at €1,000. These prices are often out of reach for the average Hungarian as the median salary is €950 per month.
