Unbearable tropical climate rules in Hungarian hospitals

33% of surgery rooms, 41% of intensive rooms, and 98% of sick-bay rooms have no air-conditioning in Hungarian medical institutions.

Népszava reported that many hospitals across the country struggle with the problem of no air-conditioning. Out of 108 hospitals that were asked whether it was a problem or not, 46 answered. 67% of these hospitals have air-conditioned surgery rooms, and 59% of the intensive rooms also provide cool air for sick people.

On the other hand, only 2% of sick-bays have air conditioning, and 9% of ambulant rooms.

Not only the absence of air-conditioning is a huge problem, but also the machines’ conditions in institutions where they are regularly operated. 2/3 of these machines are in severe condition, and many hospitals do not have enough financial support to purchase new ones. Many of these institutions can only install new machines if they had the electric system of the building changed.

Many believe that an acceptable temperature is not only necessary for patients but hospital workers as well. Furthermore, above 30 degrees Celsius, the risk of infection is likelier than in normal conditions. Because of this factor, patients cannot be treated safely in Hungarian hospitals.

According to the government, they can only solve this problem by next summer. They also reported that all hospitals should request financial support if they do not have enough to buy air-conditioning for themselves. Several hospital workers expressed their concerns about the unbearable conditions. Many of them reported that the heat makes it harder to perform surgery because there is not enough fresh air, and opening a window is not an option due to hospital regulations.