The integrated nature of the Hungarian health care system is especially advantageous in a crisis situation, Gergely Gulyás, the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said on Kossuth Radio’s programme ‘Sunday Paper’.
According to the Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office, another important experience of the management of the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic is that there is a need for an integrated health care supplies management system; this is why the system of hospital commanders was required.
He added that in such a situation there is a need for coordination among ministries, and the Operational Group provided an appropriate framework for this.
He also highlighted that in the past 9 years in health care the government had increased wages and salaries at a much higher rate than in other areas. At the same time, compared with Western Europe we are still behind in this area, and therefore further pay rises are necessary, he said.
He added that, based on a proposal of the Hungarian Chamber of Doctors, against the background of further pay rises, gratuities in the medical profession must be brought to an end; this is a subject we will have to broach.
Regarding opposition criticisms levelled at the special legal order and the introduction of a state of disease control preparedness, he said the opposition had two alternatives: either they would apologise for their lies, or have a go at coming up with even bigger lies. After very little deliberation, they opted for the latter, Mr Gulyás said.
He pointed out that evidently the nature of the special legal order lies in that the government is able to make laws, in departure from the statutory regulations via the means of government decrees, and even fundamental rights can be restricted such as the introduction of restrictions on movement.
“These means have come to an end; what is left is a state of disease control preparedness which in my view everyone can easily appreciate is justified as the virus is still here with us,” the Minister said, adding that as long as there is no vaccine against the virus, maintaining a state of preparedness is in everyone’s best interests.
In the context of the refurbishment of the Chain Bridge, he said former Mayor of Budapest István Tarlós handed over Budapest to incumbent Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony with HUF 40 billion and another HUF 160 billion tied up in government bonds at the disposal of the metropolitan municipality. Budapest still has HUF 180 billion in government securities, and so it is difficult to claim that there is no money to cover its liabilities, he added.
He also highlighted that while the Hungarian epidemic containment effort is among the most successful ones in Europe, almost every tenth victim in Hungary died in the Pesti út elderly care home. This is why an investigation had to be conducted which concluded that the operator metropolitan municipality was responsible. The courts will decide on the merits of this case, he observed.