If the bill passed Monday passes, it could take a year behind bars to get faster health care for the money.

In addition to doctors who accept the money, patients who prepay them for an earlier date or other benefits can also be sentenced to prison; in fact, this is included in the government bill that will be presented to Parliament on Monday afternoon.

We have already written in our previous article that the bill proposes an “unprecedented” increase in medical salaries, which is based on the proposal of the Hungarian Medical Chamber. According to the salary scale published in this, the salary of a doctor, specialist, dentist, specialist dentist, pharmacist, specialist pharmacist, as well as employees in the health service as defined in the Government Decree will increase in three years .

A rookie resident will earn 481,000 next year, which will increase to 687,000 forints in three years. The salary of a doctor who has been practicing for more than 41 years will increase to 1.6 million next year and 2.38 million from 2023.

However, the bill would regulate not only wages but gratitude money as well, as the MOK has long called for. The government now proposes to include the following paragraph in the Penal Code:

“Whoever grants or promises an illegal advantage to a health worker, health worker, or other person in connection with the provision of health care as defined in the Health Care Act, if a more serious crime is not committed, it will be sentenced to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year “.

Therefore, the BTK amendment penalizes gratitude money in such a way that the facts of the bribery and the acceptance of the bribe are complemented by the granting and acceptance of an improper advantage.

That is, anyone trying to get money to get ahead of the waiting list or get some benefit from their doctor can be behind bars for months, just like the doctor who accepts them. However, the proposal does not clarify many details: it is questionable, for example, how the authorities would check it and who should make the report. It does not seem too realistic for a doctor to inform his own patient after a face-to-face conversation because he offered money. It is also unclear what they would do with the envelope pocketed in real time, “out of gratitude.”

Of course, bribery has been punished so far, in July this year, for example, the Curia sentenced a corrupt surgeon to two years in prison for unjustifiably asking several of his patients for money, otherwise, for funded medical care. for social security, or waiting for more money to thank you. .

It’s about billions

It is true that the bill would affect tens of thousands: although there are no exact statistics on how much Hungarians pay for their doctors, according to a 2017 study, it could be about 70 billion guilders a year.

In Hungary, there has been an unspoken agreement on gratitude for many decades, and it only depends on the conscience of doctors that it is accepted. The issue is so delicate that for a long time no one could substantially change it, the new leadership of the Hungarian Medical Chamber elected last year began to seek solutions to the problem.

As a result, the MOK published its six-page professional material in May of this year, in which solutions include three main axes: increased doctors’ salaries, criminal penalties, and greater transparency. The bill that has just been presented has taken them into account.

It is not gratitude, but the pay of fear. Why can’t we get rid of the gratitude money?

It may take up to twenty years for the rewards system to be phased out of Hungarian healthcare, but if those responsible don’t intervene now, we will never get rid of it. Of the tens of billions that slip into pockets each year, patients expect better care, but in reality, the system is distorted and inequalities are being realized.

Péter Álmos, the vice president of the MOK, told hvg.hu earlier that in his research on this, most people said that if they received an adequate salary, they would stay in Hungary. The chamber is also already working on a new code of ethics that will define the concept of gratitude money. Currently this states that the doctor can accept the gift in hindsight, he just can’t wait ahead, but a GP, for example, will surely see his patient after that, so it’s hard to interpret this as simply putting the money in your pocket later. However, according to the chamber, the problem cannot be addressed with a code of ethics alone, more rigor is needed.

“We consider that the money of gratitude is a corruption that can give the patient an unjustified advantage, that is why we are in favor of a total legal ban,” said Péter Álmos.

According to the vice president, the amount of a gift that a doctor or nurse can accept – be it chocolate, coffee or a book – must be specified and there must be a criminal category for the thank you money, both for doctors and patients, by political decision . need.

Other experts, however, warn that

Medical pay increases and strict legal penalties only provide one answer to why doctors accept parasolvency, but completely ignore why patients actually give.

“Several studies have already confirmed that patients do not pay because they are grateful and think that their doctor earns little. Most people pay because they fear that if they do not, they will not receive adequate care, Péter Gaál, a professor at Semmelweis University and a Hungarian researcher on the gratitude system, previously told our article.


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There's a price to pay for a big medical pay raise - strict conflict of interest rules are coming


hvg.hu
At home

As of 2023, an elderly doctor can earn almost 2.4 million guilders. The government’s proposal now also changes the legal relationship between doctors, and the room for maneuver for those who work in private care could be significantly reduced, which of course also affects patients.

It is not gratitude, but the wages of fear. Why can't we get rid of the gratitude money?


Teen Victoria
At home

It may take up to twenty years for the bonus system to be phased out of Hungarian healthcare, but if those responsible don’t intervene now, we will never get rid of it. Of the tens of billions that slip into pockets each year, patients expect better care, but in reality, the system is distorted and inequalities are being realized. The Hungarian Medical Chamber proposes a significant salary increase and severe criminal penalties that would only allow the acceptance of smaller gifts such as chocolate and coffee. According to the Hungarian researcher on the subject, this is not enough, specific services must be paid for, such as the free choice of the doctor.