European Foundation
for the Improvement of
Living and Working Conditions

The tripartite EU agency providing knowledge to assist
in the development of better social, employment and
work-related policies

EU PolicyWatch

Database of national-level policy measures

Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure HU-2022-9/2444 – Updated – measures in Hungary

Healthcare services for Ukrainian refugees

Az Ukrajnából menekültek egészségügyi ellátása

Country Hungary , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 24 February 2022 – 25 November 2023
Context War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Measures to prevent social hardship
– Access to healthcare
Author Nóra Krokovay (KOPINT-Tárki) and Eurofound
Measure added 03 June 2022 (updated 19 June 2023)

Background information

Under government decree 86/2022 refugees from Ukraine who are under or have applied for temporary protection are entitled to healthcare services. 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
  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. in the case of benefits under points (b) and (c), (d) and (g), transport of a patient 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.

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

24 February 2022

Hungary's "state of danger due to armed conflict in a neighbouring country" was put into effect on 24 February 2022 to last until 31 May 2022. The services provided for refugees from Ukraine are in effect until this state of danger is in effect. There have been the following extensions so far:

  • 25 May 2022 - 31 October 2022 (govt decree 180/2022)
  • 1 November 2022 - 11 May 2023 (govt decree 424/2022)
  • 12 May 2023 - 25 November 2023 (Act XI of 2023; govt decree 424/2022 modified)

Use of measure

On 2 June 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, 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.

Sectors and occupations

    • Economic area Sector (NACE level 2)
      Q - Human Health And Social Work Activities Q86 Human health activities
      Q88 Social work activities without accommodation

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Healthcare services for Ukrainian refugees, measure HU-2022-9/2444 (measures in Hungary), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/HU-2022-9_2444.html

Share

Eurofound publications based on EU PolicyWatch

30 January 2023

 

Measures to lessen the impact of the inflation and energy crisis on citizens

Governments across the EU continue to implement policies to support citizens and businesses in the face of rising food and energy prices caused by the COVID-19 crisis and intensified by the war in Ukraine. This article summarises the policy responses as reported in Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch database from January to September 2022.

Article

12 September 2022

 

First responses to cushion the impact of inflation on citizens

Although the worldwide pandemic situation had already disrupted supply chains and triggered increases in energy and food prices in 2021, the situation deteriorated in 2022 with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Article

12 September 2022

 

Policies to support EU companies affected by the war in Ukraine

This article summarises the first policy responses that governments across the EU have started to implement to support companies affected by the rising prices, and those with commercial ties to Ukraine, Russia or Belarus.

Article

5 July 2022

 

Policies to support refugees from Ukraine

This article summarises the first policy responses of EU Member States, including those of the social partners and other civil society actors, enabling refugees to exercise their rights under the Temporary Protection Directive.

Article

Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.