Background information

Under government decree 86/2022 refugees from Ukraine who are under or have applied for temporary protection are entitled to health-care services specified in the decree. A protocol issued by the Ministry for Human Capacities (EMMI) advises general practitioners on administrative procedures for filling in prescriptions for refugees. It is in the doctor’s competence to decide if a treatment is necessary for the refugee. Beneficiaries not insured under the Hungarian social insurance system (TAJ card) or not have applied for temporary protection are eligible for healthcare services free of charge at a reception centre or at the hospital nearest to their residence

Content of measure

The following services are ensured:

1. primary health care, examinations and treatment provided by a general practitioner;
2. examination and treatment in the context of emergency outpatient care and medicine;
3. inpatient care in an inpatient hospital in case of urgent need, and medical treatment prescribed by a doctor, including surgical operations;
4. following specialised outpatient care or inpatient hospital treatment, recovery examination and treatment and medicine and specialised oncology treatment
5. medical appliances ordered by a doctor as part of treatment;
6. emergency dental care and treatment for the preservation of teeth (in the lowest reimbursement category);
7. prenatal care and obstetric care or, under the conditions laid down in the Act on the Protection of Fetal Life, an operation to terminate a pregnancy;
8. Transport of a patient to the site of all treatment other than primary care if, because of his state of health, transport cannot be provided otherwise;
9. compulsory vaccination linked to age.

Refugees have access to health care for 30 days after entering Hungary even if they do not file for temporary protection.

The campaign Together for Health Care ( osszefogasazegeszsegert.hu ), offers health-care services for Ukrainian refugees in Budapest and elsewhere.

Use of measure

On 2 June 2022 the number of people who arrived from the Ukrainian and Romanian borders together was registered at 1,271,420 by the UNHCR. By 13 May 2022, 21,320 of those people had applied for temporary protection and the attached services including health care. 11,647 of those applications have been approved. The number of refugees who received treatment in Hungary since the outbreak of the war is unknown.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Company / Companies Other social actors (e.g. NGOs)	European Funds National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

The Hungarian Chamber of Doctors' MOK organised a mediation website for connecting health-care professionals fleeing Ukraine with possible job openings in their fields. A MOK official told novekedes.hu that there were legal and bureaucratic obstacles to hiring health-care workers from Ukraine, mainly the acceptance of their diplomas in Hungary. MOK is lobbying the government to make it easier to accept Ukrainian health-care qualifications in Hungary. MOK also runs a website where health-care institutions in Hungary post information about their services in treating Ukrainian refugees.

Views and reactions

Healthcare workers can go to reception centres and treat refugees as part of their working time and any overtime. According to health trade unions, healthcare workers are dealing with the extra care needs without major difficulties. Refugees NGO Menedék said in December 2024 that under govt decree 121/2022 asylum seekers (those who have already been recognised) and Hungarian citizens who have been refugees since 24 February and who hold a state-recognised qualification or academic degree issued in Ukraine before the naturalisation of their qualification or degree may perform health care activities (under supervision). However, they must start the recognition and naturalisation procedure at the latest when they start the activity, but it is not a condition that they have a work or family reunification permit. Those with medical, dental or pharmacy qualifications can enter the higher vocational training system in the field of health care - this is specialist medical, specialist pharmacy training before the recognition and naturalisation procedure is completed - but this procedure must be started when entering the training

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 09 November 2007: Govt decree 301/2007 on implementing Refugee Act 80/2007 (njt.hu)
• 24 February 2022: Government decree 86/2022 (njt.hu)
• 01 March 2022: MOK Help points for refugees (mok.hu)
• 24 March 2022: Together for Health platform (osszefogasazegeszsegert.hu)
• 21 April 2022: Can Ukrainian refugee health workers work in Hungary? (novekedes.hu)
• 01 November 2022: Government decree 121/2022 (njt.hu)
• 22 November 2023: Govt decree 515/2023 on the state of war danger (njt.hu)
• 17 April 2024: Govt decree 424/2022 (njt.hu)
• 02 November 2025: Amended Act 42/2022 (njt.hu)