Hungary, the land of parasolvency

According to some analysts, without parasolvency – a kind of mandatory gratuity or tip given to the doctors and nurses by the patients – the whole healthcare system would have collapsed a long time ago. In the region, only the Romanians and the Ukrainians pump more money into the system this way – according to zoom.hu.

Parasolvency is a kind of corruption

As we already reported, the Hungarian healthcare system is stupefyingly flawed and underfunded; there are not enough doctors and nurses because they are extremely overloaded and underpaid. Thus, it is not surprising that many people seek a swifter and more certain recovery by filling their pockets so that they can receive better treatment in a shorter time. In fact, Republikon Institute asked a couple of months ago what factors Hungarians regard the most significant problems of the healthcare system. Everybody mentioned long waiting lists, the lack of doctors, the outdated medical equipment, and the devastated state of the hospitals. Interestingly,

parasolvency was problematic only for 68% of the people.

Tamás Dénes, the chairman of the Rezident and Specialized Doctors Union (Reszasz) said to zoom.hu that parasolvency equals corruption. “Though corruption exists everywhere from the Scandinavian countries to the United States

putting money and giving it to the doctors in an envelope is only habitual in our region”

– added Dénes.

Post-communist heritage

The sum is varying – according to him. Papers are stating that it is only Romania and Ukraine where people give their doctors and nurses more money. In fact, they are followed by Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Poland. However, parasolvency exists also in Greece and Slovakia where – based on a survey – 70 pc of the people have already given money to their doctors. Thus, it can be stated that parasolvency is a Communist heritage.

Dénes told zoom.hu that Reszasz conducted a representative survey last year which stated that

96 pc of the doctors would like to live without parasolvency.

However, 61 pc of them cannot do so because of the system. Only 6 pc regarded as acceptable or natural to receive envelopes for the treatments. Dénes said that he accepted parasolvency until 2010; however, he did not want to go further on the moral slope, so he went abroad.