Hungary

Healthcare System

Hungary operates a universal healthcare system based on a single health insurance fund that provides coverage for almost all residents. The benefit package offered by the health insurance fund is relatively limited compared to other EU countries.

The Hungarian healthcare system is highly centralized, with the national government responsible for setting strategic direction, controlling financing, issuing and enforcing regulations, and delivering most outpatient specialist and inpatient care. The Ministry of Human Capacities administers the health system through the National Healthcare Service Centre (ÁEEK), which is responsible for care coordination, hospital planning, and medical licensing. The ÁEEK also serves as an umbrella organization for regional and local health system agencies. The single health insurance fund is administered by the National Institute of Health Insurance Fund Management (NEAK), a government organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Human Capacities.

The population receives a range of healthcare benefits through the system, including primary care, hospital care, specialist consultations, dental care, prescription medications, preventive services, maternity care, rehabilitation services, and mental healthcare. However, the benefit package is relatively limited compared to other EU countries.

To access the benefits of Hungary's healthcare system, individuals must be insured under the National Health Insurance Fund, which is compulsory for all citizens, either through employment or through being a dependent of an insured person. Foreigners residing in Hungary can also access the healthcare system by contributing to the NHIF or through reciprocal agreements with their home countries.

In Hungary, the Electronic Health Service Space (EESZT) serves as the primary platform for recording and managing healthcare data, including claims data, patient registries, and electronic health records (EHRs). The EESZT aims to enhance the efficiency, accessibility, and security of patient information by providing a centralized, interoperable system that allows healthcare providers to access and update patient records, submit claims, and monitor their patients' health statuses. Healthcare delivery in Hungary remains very hospital-centric, with the national government being the main provider of both inpatient and outpatient services. A few local governments still own multi-specialty outpatient facilities (polyclinics).

Administrative or Claims Data

Database: KSH Morbidity and Accidents

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Központi Statisztikai Hivatal; Quality of Life Statistics Department.

Primary purpose: To describe the number, frequency, and other characteristics of certain illnesses and accidents.

Type of information: Variables: KSH Morbidity and Accidents Database. Data dictionary was not found. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information: Information comes from a combination of direct data collection (such as a report on the activities of family doctors and family pediatricians and the European Health Interview Survey) and administrative data transfer from various national institutions and organizations.

Data level: Patient level.

Available data level: National level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Available data range: 1999 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest:

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available data can be found here under "Health" > "Morbidity and Accidents". Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Database: KSH Inpatient Service

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Központi Statisztikai Hivatal; Quality of Life Statistics Department.

Primary purpose: To present data on capacity and patient turnover of inpatient service.

Type of information: Number of approved and operating hospital beds and their number per ten thousand inhabitants, number of nursing days, average length of stay in hospitals, number and rate of discharged patients per hundred inhabitants, bed occupancy rate, number of patients deceased in hospitals, hospital mortality rate by medical specialization and region, and state of new-borns needing intensive treatment by birth weight. Data dictionary was not found. More metadata can be found here.

Source of Information:

Data level: Patient level.

Available data level: Regional and national level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Available data range: 2012 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest:

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available data can be found here under "Health" > "Inpatient Services". Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Registries

Database: Nemzeti Rákregiszter Cancer Registry

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Nemzeti Rákregiszter.

Primary purpose: To provide information about cancer epidemiology in order to support research and policymaking.

Type of information: Data dictionary was not found.

Available type of information: Diagnosis code; Examination year; Gender; County code [1].

Source of Information: Reports sent by hospitals.

Data level: Patient level.

Available data level: Regional and national level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: 2000 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Cancer Areas of Interest: Nemzeti Rákregiszter Cancer Registry

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available data can be found here. Information on how to access complete database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.

Database: KSH Cause of Death Registry

Sponsor, manager or home institution: Központi Statisztikai Hivatal.

Primary purpose: To provide statistical accounting of all deaths in Hungary and deaths abroad of persons with a Hungarian address.

Type of information: Demographic characteristics of the deceased (date of birth and death, place of death, marital status, citizenship, address, education, economic activity, occupation, employment relationship, data on the living spouse in the case of a deceased spouse, and the number of children in the case of deceased women) and causes of death (declarant of death, series of diseases leading to death and the date of their onset, circumstances of unnatural death). Data dictionary was not found. More metadata can be found here.

Available type of information: County; District; Year; Place of death; Period of time; Month; Cause of death; Actual place of residence; The highest level of educational attainment of the deceased; Age; The person who stated the cause of death; Sex; Marital status. Infant deaths: Cause of infant deaths; Deaths under 1 year of age; Marital status of mother; Age-group of mother; Gestation period; Group of weight of infants deceased; The highest level of educational attainment of father; The highest level of educational attainment of mother; Live birth order; Mother's actual place of residence. Perinatal infant deaths: Deaths within 0-6 days and number of dead-born infants; Number of pregnancies; Perinatal age; Cause of perinatal deaths; Group of weight of perinatal deaths; Total birth order [2].

Source of Information: Direct data collection by the KSH (Hungarian Central Statistical Office) and various questionnaires, such as the "Death sheet," "Death Examination Certificate," "Notification on the modification of the Postmortem Certificate," "Perinatal post mortem certificate," and "Perinatal death (pathological) notice." In the case of death of Hungarian citizens abroad, the available data must be provided by the authority conducting the domestic civil registration.

Data level: Patient level.

Available data level: Regional and national level.

Number of Records: Unknown.

Date Range: Unknown.

Available date range: 2015 onwards.

Cancer Areas of Interest: Cancer Areas of Interest: KSH Cause of Death Registry

Open data access: Data is partially publicly available. Publicly available data can be found here under "Population" > "Mortality". Information on how to access full database can be found here.

Information/Contact for data request: Contact information can be found here.