Govt official: Hungary family policy holds ‘enormous potential’

Hungary’s family policy “holds enormous potential”, Katalin Novák, the state secretary for youth and family affairs, said in an interview to Saturday’s edition of daily Magyar Hírlap.

There are about 150,000 couples in Hungary who want to have children but cannot due to health reasons, Novák told the paper. The government has therefore made it a goal to help couples facing infertility, she added.

Measures enacted in this area have included raising subsidies allocated to infertility drugs and the government plans to expand the range of subsidised drugs and medical examinations relating to the problem, she said.

Up until now the government has funded five implantations, Novák noted. This has been amended in a way that will see the government finance a further four implantations for each additional child, she added.

The state secretary also noted that from January, mothers with at least four children will be exempt from personal income tax under the next phase of the government’s family protection action plan.

In addition, grandparents will also be eligible to a child-care fee, she noted.

The state secretary also said that the government will draft a child protection action plan next year.

Source: MTI