Differences between health-care system: Hungary and Western-European Countries

In the second half of the 20^th century, in the Eastern European region – and despite the theoretically analogous political systems – the composition of society, the freedom of citizens to move, the economical and social background: all proved to be quite different in reality. Despite these, there existed more similar factors too - that were able to exert a major influence on the birth of travel medicine in the past COMECON states. These factors make to feel their power even today, so it proves to be useful, if we start to analyse the tendencies of development by being conscious of them.
 

1.      All the hospitals in Hungary are State-run, and obviously have service agreement with the National Social Security Insurance Company.  Consequently, hospitals’ administration is widely accepts the "European Health Insurance Card".

The EU Card only covers the costs of diseases needing urgent health provision in the very case that the local health care provider is in contract with National Health Insurance Company of that state. Of course, as in Hungary (and in all former socialist states, as well) every health care service was state-run after World War II, for Hungarians of the following decades it was quite natural that each kind of financing health supply was paid by a centralized Social Insurance Institution.
 

Based on experiences of the historical past, Hungarian travelers were accustomed to a claim behavior to enjoy the same health care provision as at home. With the adherence to the European Union with autonomous social care systems, however, the conditions changed: former East-West and East-East inter-state treaties were replaced by a limited form of care provided by the "European Health Insurance Card". As the far overwhelming majority of Hungarian citizens does travel into European Union countries, the belief held fast that after the adherence to the EU no travel insurance at all will be necessary. As the far overwhelming majority of Hungarian citizens does travel into European Union countries, the belief held fast that after the adherence to the EU no travel insurance at all will be necessary.

In Western Europe the majority of local health care suppliers remained private, so only a minority among them do possess a social care contract. Consequently, they do not accept the coverage generally secured by the Health Insurance Card too simply called "European". It is this particularity that provokes the misapprehension of the travelers coming there from the Eastern European region.
 

2. The hierarchic structure of health care meant rigidity in the health-care system.  

 In fact, the population failed to possess a free doctor choice possibility: (this is only a theoretical possibility) so, in case of a disease, everybody had to go to „his" district physician according to the place of residence. In the very case a sick needed a hospital care, he got a placement on a bed in the district hospital too.

If a foreigner go to the hospital without  medical  referral ( signed by the GP ) he often will  expect a long waiting in the lobby in an inappropriate facility.