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

Health systems in transition Hungary 29
Responsibility for this wide variety of tasks is divided among ministries
according to various governmental decrees and these responsibilities were
recently redefined (2010/7, 8). The primary responsibility for stewardship and
financing in the health system remains with the State Secretariat for Healthcare
(2010/8), but other ministries are also involved in service delivery and health
care financing.
2.3.3 State Secretariat for Healthcare
In 2010 the government created the Ministry of National Resources by merging
the five ministries previously responsible for social, family and youth affairs;
health care; education; culture; and sport (2010/7). These former ministries have
since been reclassified as State Secretariats, each of which is led by a Minister
of State. The aim of this change was to reduce the cost of public administration
and create effective platforms for intersectoral cooperation.
Within the Ministry of National Resources, the State Secretariat for
Healthcare is responsible for preparing legislation related to the direction of
health care provision at the national level and at institutions of higher education,
and for regulating national public health care tasks at the national level. The
State Secretariat for Healthcare shares responsibility with the Ministry for
National Economy and the Ministry of Interior for health care financing.
The main functions of health policy formulation, coordination and
regulation are carried out by a number of institutions under the direct control
of the State Secretariat. In addition to these administrative functions, some
of these institutions provide health services themselves, including public
health, emergency ambulance services, blood supply, tertiary care services
and rehabilitation; they also help prepare health policy initiatives. Since January
2001, the State Secretariat has also exercised direct control over the NHIFA.
One of the most important agencies of the State Secretariat for Healthcare,
the NPHMOS provides public health services, including the traditional
public hygiene and infectious disease control, disease prevention and health
promotion. It is the central authority responsible for implementing, monitoring
and enforcing regulations, including the registration and licensing of health
care providers. The NPHMOS is also responsible for monitoring the quality of
health services and plays an important role in capacity planning (see sections
2.8.2, and 5.1 – 5.3).