EUR 3.4m among hospitals to reduce longest patient lists

Budapest, December 31 (MTI) – The government is going to distribute within days one billion forints (EUR 3.4m) in extra funding among hospitals with the longest lists of patients waiting for surgery, national daily Nepszabadsag said today.

There are currently 50,000 Hungarians standing in line for medical treatment, most needing a cataract operation or a hip or knee implant.

The government measure is expected to produce the most “spectacular” improvement in the case of patients with spine problems, for whom the waiting time is currently up to 721 days.

Waiting time at the hospital with the longest patient list, the National Centre for Spinal Disorders in Budapest, is expected to go down to six to ten months by the end of next summer, Peter Pal Varga, the centre’s director-general, told the paper.

Surgical operation for 200 out of the 754 patients in line have already been scheduled, he said.

Eliminating patient lists in Hungarian health care in full would, however, require about 8 billion forints (EUR 27m) in funding, the paper said.

Photo: szekelyhon.ro

Source: http://hungarymatters.hu/