There were also problems with practitioners' availability outside the office, as one-third of them were unreachable by phone.

The unannounced inspections encountered numerous instances where neither the practitioner nor the practice could be found. Initially, only a third of primary care providers were free from deficiencies during the first inspection. However, subsequent follow-up inspections failed to fully address the previously identified issues. Out of approximately 1,452 sites operated by 401 general practitioners reviewed again, 12% remained untraceable, and despite it being consultation hours, 39% were not conducting medical services. The issue of practitioners' availability outside their consulting rooms was highlighted, with a third being unreachable by phone.

Though inspections of specialist clinics and hospitals have attracted more attention, State Secretary for Health Péter Takács established the "supervisory service" last year. This organization is tasked with coordinating inspections by healthcare authorities (the health insurer, OKFŐ, and the formerly known ÁNTSZ, the National Public Health and Pharmacy Center) to identify flaws in patient care.

In February and March last year, about 569 general and primary care dental services were inspected across four counties - Baranya, Tolna, Vas, and Győr-Moson-Sopron - focusing on areas with medical practices that had more than one registered location. Additionally, in March 2023, special inspections were carried out on 11 more general practitioners in the North Hungarian, Western Transdanubian, and Southern Transdanubian regions.

Last spring, László Körösi, Head of the Financing Department at the National Health Insurance Fund Manager (NEAK), shared specific examples in Magyar Nemzet about these inspections. In Somogy County, for instance, three offices were visited, none of which had posted business hours. In Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, a provider operating in seven different locations was found, six of which were visibly uninhabited and neglected houses.

Based on the initial inspections' findings, NEAK decided to conduct follow-up inspections on service providers operating three to four sites where significant deficiencies had been identified. The follow-up still found 12% of offices untraceable at the addresses designated for medical care, and during consultation times, nearly 40% of providers were without a doctor on site. Cases were noted where substitutes in unfilled practices treated patients in their own offices instead, transporting patients via municipal minibuses. The inspection, according to a response from the Ministry of Interior, also found that only three-quarters of general practitioners conspicuously posted their consultation hours.

General practitioners informed our publication that nurses have numerous tasks that are performed before or after consulting hours, such as providing care at patients’ homes, administrative work, or procuring necessary materials and equipment for daily treatments. In practices with multiple doctors, there is often no room for assistants or nurses to stay.

In response to our inquiry, the Ministry of Interior stated that the operational licenses for the non-functioning sites identified during the inspection were revoked. Based on these experiences, the ministry advocates for further inspections of general practitioners, extending these to include on-call services as well, and will verify if doctors are indeed available during their duty hours.

Our sources indicate that in April, general practitioner services in Heves, and in August and September in Vas, as well as in October in Tolna, will be scrutinized. Inspectors plan to visit practices serving more than a thousand patients.