Health Systems in Transition - Hungary - World Health Organization ...

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Health systems in transition Hungary
are also mentioned in this Act, including guarded patient transportation; urgent
transport of medical teams to carry out life-saving interventions; the transport
of life-saving medical equipment, drugs and organs for transplantation; the
provision of stand-by emergency services to secure the place of accidents, mass
catastrophes and mass events (e.g. pop concerts, festivals, sport events); and
the transfer of people incapacitated by alcohol consumption from public places
to a health care institution for 24-hour observation (Article 94). In Hungary
emergency medical services are provided by the state and everybody is entitled
to them, irrespective of citizenship and health insurance status (Articles 95 and
96). Detailed regulations, professional standards and requirements on licensing,
procedures and documentation regarding emergency medical services are set
out in a ministerial decree (2006/1).
The organizational structure and main tasks of the National Emergency
Ambulance Service are described in a government decree. The CEO is appointed
by the Minister of National Resources on the basis of the recommendation
of the State Minister for Health, and the service is organized on a territorial
basis: the national office supervises seven regional offices and the Hungarian
Air Ambulance Public Company (established in November 2005), whereas the
regional offices supervise more than 200 ambulance stations (2006/18). There
are 26 emergency dispatch centres under the supervision of 7 regional centres,
which have recently been separated organizationally from the ambulance
stations. Based on the caller’s information, the emergency dispatch centres are
responsible for sending the appropriate vehicle according to the seriousness of
the case. The emergency ambulance fleet has ten types of differently equipped
vehicles, ranging from EA motorcycles to mobile intensive-care units and
emergency ambulance helicopters (2006/1).
The National Emergency Ambulance Service was established in 1948, and
for 40 years it was the sole organizer, coordinator and provider of emergency
rescue and patient transportation in Hungary. During the 1990s, new emergency
ambulance providers entered the area of emergency rescue, especially for
neonatal care, while, more recently, the government in power from 2006 to
2010 decided to liberate the market of patient transportation and allowed private
providers who met certain criteria and requirements to contract with the NHIFA
(2007/12). Since the beginning of 2008, the National Emergency Ambulance
Service has no longer taken part in ordinary patient transportation and its
coordination has been transferred into the newly established National Patient
Transportation Services.