Many Healthcare Workers Refuse to Sign New Contract, Leave Public Healthcare
Hungarian healthcare workers had to sign a new contract by March 1st in order to be able to continue working in public care. The new contract contains strict conditions and a lower salary for some due to new overtime rules and the banning of second jobs, which is why many working in the sector have refused to sign it. According to the national director-general of hospitals, 95 percent of workers signed the documents.
Parliament approved the bill for a major wage hike for physicians last October. The new law grants a 120% salary increase to doctors in Hungary in three steps, reaching its maximum in January 2023. The law also criminalizes gratuities offered as bribes and sets a limit on the value of non-cash gifts from patients to doctors at five percent of the monthly minimum wage.