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Photo: Attila Kisvenedek
The European Union’s decision to appoint a Hungarian as health commissioner has caused consternation in Hungary, where hospitals are collapsing and there is no health minister.
The appointment last week of Oliver Varhelyi, an ally of Hungary’s nationalist ruling party, as health secretary for the EU’s new executive commission has cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s much-criticized public health system.
Hungarian opposition EU lawmaker Zoltan Taal told local media: “If the aim is to support EU member states with the intention of destroying and plundering their health sector, appointing Varhelyi was a great idea.”
Hungary’s public health system has come under intense scrutiny since opposition leader Peter Magyar, a one-time ally and now critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, toured hospitals this summer and denounced “deplorable” conditions.
Magyar accuses Orban of abolishing the Health Ministry to cut costs soon after returning to power in 2010 and of “systematically underfunding and dismantling the public health care.”
According to Eurostat figures, Hungary will spend just 4.4% of GDP on health in 2022, a lower percentage than any other EU member state.
“Unfortunately, successive governments have not treated health as a priority,” György Belkéy, president of the country’s hospital association, told AFP.
Surveys have shown that the quality of healthcare is one of Hungarians’ biggest concerns, and patient complaints have proliferated on social media.
From a lack of basic hygiene products to dilapidated facilities, the list of complaints is almost as long as the notorious waiting lists for specialized medical care.
In a Facebook post last month, a father lamented conditions at the hospital where his son, in his 30s, died from a blood clot.
“There was no air conditioning in the intensive care unit. There was no light in the toilets outside the unit so I was looking for light on my mobile phone. There was no toilet seat or water,” Laszlo, who asked not to use his full name, told AFP.
Many patients say they are turning to private healthcare providers to get better and faster medical care.
Silvia, 32, who did not want to give her full name, paid the equivalent of 3,000 euros ($3,350) to give birth to her second child in a private hospital after a “traumatic birth experience” with her first child.
Experts say health systems across Europe are struggling with ageing populations and staff shortages, and many of the challenges existed before Orban returned to power.
But the nationalization of city hospitals in 2011-2012 exacerbated the problem, creating inefficiencies and debt, said Esther Sinco, an economist specializing in the issue.
“There are some hospitals, clinics and GPs that are functioning well, but the overall performance of the system is poor,” Sinco told AFP.
Medical experts and staff who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity also described dire conditions.
Healthcare workers in general are “overwhelmed and burnt out,” in part due to a shortage of staff, said one paramedic in Budapest with more than 10 years of experience.
A 68-year-old medical assistant specialist at a Budapest hospital complained about working without air conditioning during the hot summer months, when temperatures can reach 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).
A cleaner at the same facility also said “bedsheets instead of curtains” had been hung to cover the windows.
“Whenever we have dignitaries or visitors, we quickly collect supplies and equipment and take them to the relevant wards to show them that everything is OK,” she told AFP.
Journalists are rarely allowed to report or conduct interviews in hospitals, and there was a total ban on such activities even during the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen Hungary record the highest death toll in the EU.
Of the eight hospitals Magyar visited, only one allowed AFP photographers inside.
Magyar visited the hospital in August armed with a digital thermometer and a camera after receiving reports of air conditioners breaking down during the summer’s heatwaves.
A video of his visit was viewed by hundreds of thousands of people on Facebook.
The government accused him of “misrepresenting the situation” and conducting a “smear campaign”.
At an unprecedented press conference earlier this month, Orban defended his record on health care, pointing to salary increases and other improvements.
“Every year we make progress in the medical field too. Of course, our work is not done yet,” he said.
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