Health Department's Surprise Checks Reveal Alarming Gaps in Primary Care Services
According to a report by Népszava, a recent round of inspections has revealed significant deficiencies in Hungary's primary healthcare system.
The health secretary, Takács Péter, initiated a specialized inspection team last year to integrate the oversight of healthcare authorities including the health insurance, the OKFŐ, and the former ÁNTSZ, the National Public Health and Pharmacology Center to identify shortcomings in patient care.
During February and March of last year, approximately 569 general and primary dental care providers were audited across four counties Baranya, Tolna, Vas, and Győr-Moson-Sopron. These checks primarily targeted practices with more than one registered location. In March 2023, an additional 11 providers offering general care were inspected on an urgent basis in the North Hungarian, Western Transdanubian, and Southern Transdanubian regions.
The unexpected visits by inspectors uncovered several deficiencies, including instances where medical services were not being provided during the notified open hours. In some cases, practices were not operational at the addresses stated in their licenses.
Data obtained from the Ministry of Interior revealed that during the initial inspections, two-thirds of the primary care providers had observable shortcomings. Follow-up checks showed that these issues had not been fully addressed. Out of approximately 1,452 locations operated by 401 general practitioners reviewed again, 12% were not found at their registered addresses, and during the appointed hours for patient reception, 39% were not providing medical services. Additionally, contactability issues were noted, with one-third of the doctors being unreachable by phone.
Instances were also reported where substitutes for vacant practices were treating patients in their own offices instead of the designated practice location, with patients being transported via municipal minibuses. According to the Ministry of Interior's response to our publication, only three-quarters of the general practices had visibly posted their hours of operation. NEAK inspectors frequently criticized that staff reported to work for the full eight-hour shifts were present for only four hours during patient reception times.
As a result of these inspections, operational licenses for non-functional locations were revoked. The health department, based on these findings, advocates for further inspections of general practitioners and plans to extend these checks to include on-call services as well.
Previously reported, the shortage of general practitioners in Hungary has continued to escalate: as of early August last year, there were 659 long-term, i.e., more than six months, vacant general practice positions, marking an increase of 27 vacancies since June. Thus, 517 towns or districts face primary care challenges. With a total of 6,500 practices nationwide, this means every tenth position remains unfilled.