According to a survey, 71 percent of Hungarians would consider it good for the European Union to play a more important role in the development and functioning of health care. This is a matter for the Member States, but a process has been put in place that could lead to an extension of the powers of the EU. However, pro-government voters are more opposed to this plan and more satisfied with the state of national healthcare.

More than two-thirds of respondents, 71 percent, support the implementation of the concept of the European Health Union in Hungary, according to a joint study by the Publicus Institute and the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. (S&D), presented at an online conference Wednesday.

According to a survey of 2,500 people in the first days of December, 39% of Hungarians have heard of the European Health Union’s program to eliminate inequalities and establish closer coordination between the public health systems of the Member states. The concept was first put on the table by István Ujhelyi, Member of the European Parliament of the MSZP, and discussed with national and international professional organizations, and then, after the virus outbreak, the social democratic faction of the European Parliament expanded it for the first time. in your own health strategy. The comprehensive European Health Union program was finally launched by the European Commission and began to develop the concept first with epidemic management and strategic drug decisions, but was also endorsed by the European Council in its recent conclusion.

A joint study by S&D and Publicus also clarified that the realization of the European Health Union is supported mainly by opposition voters, 56 percent of the Fidesz base would prefer not to. The majority of MSZP and Momentum voters are positive about the concept (97-97 percent), but also have high support based on DK (94 percent) and Jobbik (93 percent). Most of the supporters were measured between the ages of 30 and 44 (84 percent), the lowest, but still a two-thirds majority, between the ages of 18 and 29 are health union parties (66 percent).

The research also showed that a large majority of voters agree that Hungary should spend much more on health care than it does today (88 percent), but also has overwhelming support (87 percent) for having minimum quality requirements. in medical care that must be provided to citizens of all Member States.

It has had fewer supporters, but still has a nearly two-thirds majority (64 percent) who say the European Union should determine how much member states should spend on health services. The research also revealed that so far only 28 percent of Hungarian voters know that the European Health Union program was started by a Hungarian MEP, István Ujhelyi: it is true that this figure has already exceeded based on the SE and the MSZP. 60 percent.

According to Fidesz, the health care situation has improved

The survey also examined to what extent and how Hungarians’ perceptions of the European Union would change if the health union program were implemented: a total of 61 percent responded positively, 13 percent negatively and 23 percent neutrally. . Another important lesson from the research is that while 49 percent of those surveyed said it was not good for the EU to get involved in more and more things, 63 percent had already agreed that it was better to have the EU regulation. as well.

Regarding the level of public health care in Hungary, 61 percent of the respondents were not satisfied and, in fact, according to them, conditions have deteriorated in recent years. Only the Fidesz base faces this trend: 82 percent of pro-government voters are satisfied with the conditions of health care and, in fact, believe that the level of care has improved in recent years.

The research also revealed that a significant majority of voters (73 percent) believe that more and more people should pay for private care because they do not receive the care they need in their state, and 80 percent of voters clearly believe that the epidemic of coronavirus has demonstrated weaknesses of the health system.

We are still army drivers

“The right to health is a fundamental human right, so it is unacceptable that there are significant differences in health care in European Member States. The results of the current research give new impetus to the work, I trust the Hungarian government recognize: not reject, but support and build We need the European Health Union, because this is clearly in the interest of all Hungarians, ”said István Ujhelyi.

At the conference, András Pulai, director of the Publicus Institute, emphasized, among other things, that there was a serious break in the assessment of the current Hungarian health situation based on party preference: pro-government voters and the opposition camp they had radically opposite points of view. According to Pulai, the opinion of “uncertain” voters without partisan preference may be the most dominant in evaluating reality, who in the vast majority agree with the opposition’s perception of reality, that is, they describe the situation of Hungarian medical care as bad and deteriorating.

Dr. Zoltán Szelényi, head of the Orosháza Hospital trauma department, spoke at the online event about the fact that Hungarian healthcare is sadly a driving force in the EU, citing the small number of years that we spent in health, in which we also perform poorly. Szelényi emphasized that the improvement in the health status of the population also brings with it an increase in GDP, that is, investing in medical care also has a positive effect on the economy.



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