The bill submitted by Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, and Miklós Kásler, Human Resources Minister, will provide major salary raises for doctors in Hungary. The legislation was unanimously approved with 165 votes in favor after being fast-tracked through Parliament.
At a minimum, every doctor’s salary will double. These increases will be implemented in a series of three steps: the first raise comes in 2021, the second in 2022, and by 2023 doctors will be paid up to 5 times as much as in 2019. Freshly employed doctors will be making around 687 thousand forints (around 1,900 euro) as opposed to their current 255 thousand (around 700 euro). Meanwhile, those with at least 40 years of experience will go from earning around 525 thousand forints (1450 euros) to 2.4 million (6700 euros).
Another significant facet of the legislation criminalizes “hálapénz”—in other words, the widespread practice of offering doctors tips or gratuities. Moreover, non-cash items gifted to doctors must not exceed 5% of their monthly minimum wage.
Hungary has managed to adeptly and adequately defend against the coronavirus pandemic—said Miklós Kásler, Human Resources Minister. He went on to highlight that even in the face of enormous pressure, the Hungarian medical system was able to persevere with the help of governmental and nation-wide cooperation.
While healthcare collapsed in other countries, Hungary managed the crisis quite commendably throughout the spring. Though autumn will bring new challenges, our nation is still faring well. Gabriella Selmeczi, Fidesz spokesperson, cited statistics in her daily address: with around 600 to 1000 reported infections per day, Hungary is among some of the most successful countries in fighting coronavirus. Bence Rétvári, Parliamentary Secretary of State of the Ministry of Human Resources, highlighted that Hungary’s mortality rate per one million inhabitants is much better than other, more affluent countries—such as the United States and Switzerland. Additionally, testing for the virus is entirely free when prescribed by a doctor.