Frustrating! Long waiting lists in Hungarian hospitals

Due to the exceptional coronavirus measures, to relieve hospitals and stop the possible spread, surgeries that are not lifesaving have been postponed. Since the decreased capacity of hospitals, the number of other types of surgeries went down too in 2020, and with that, the waiting lists significantly grew. The waiting time for some surgeries can reach over a year, and it is not likely to decrease soon.

For some surgeries, one had to wait far too long, even before the pandemic but after the outbreak, the waiting lists just became even longer – Pénzcentrum reports. In the summer, specialist practices could reopen and not acute operations could continue, too, but due to the second wave during the autumn, the situation is now even worse than before.

According to data from the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary (Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Alapkezelő, NEAK), at the beginning of June, the waiting time for a knee replacement surgery was on average 389 days, while now at the beginning of January it is 471 days. For a hip replacement surgery, the waiting time went from 324 to 371 days, and for a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery from 127 to 177 days.