General information about the access to health care in Hungary

On this page you can find:

Are you in an emergency?
If you are in urgent need of medical care or in an emergency situation, please contact the toll-free emergency numbers in Hungary.
▸ General number for emergency services: 112
▸ Ambulance: 104
▸ Police: 107
▸ Firefighters: 105

Your entitlements depend on your legal status in Hungary:

You have access to free healthcare in the case of any acute illness and urgent needs, to the extent that is absolutely necessary. The services shall be provided to you based on your Ukrainian travel document, based on a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Hungary. If you would like to refer to the legal background, please click (here) and see Article 8(1), and here: 00574-1.pdf (hgye.hu), and here: Szociális biztonsági, szociálpolitikai és egészségügyi együttműködési egyezmények – NEAK (gov.hu)

Urgent needs are defined as such changes in one’s health condition as consequence of which the patient’s life would be in imminent danger, or they would suffer grave or long-term health effects in lack of immediate medical care (e.g. childbirth, appendicitis, heart attack). The full list of conditions qualifying as an urgent need can be accessed (here).

Finding a doctor in Hungary

You can access primary health care services by booking an appointment with a general practitioner (GP) assigned to your area.

To find the contact details of your general practitioner, go to this website, and set the district of your official address and then the city. You’ll see available general practitioners in your area, along with their contact details and addresses. In some residential buildings, you might also find the general practitioner’s info on a bulletin board near the entrance.

For specialised treatment beyond emergencies, you’ll need a referral from your general practitioner, who can guide you to the right service. Only some specialised healthcare services can be visited without GP referral: dermatology, gynaecology, urology, psychiatry and addiction therapy, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology, general surgery and trauma surgery (traumatology), oncology. You can go directly to these specialists in case of need at the policlinic closest to your address.

To find contact details of polyclinics, go to this website: Link

Language barriers and interpretation services

In case of language barriers, a governmental interpreter service is available via the 1812 phone number from 8:00 AM to 16:30 PM on Monday to Friday. Interpreters will assist your doctor with translation from Ukrainian/Russian to Hungarian during healthcare interactions.

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Alternatively, you can book an interpreter with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). To register please click here. Please make sure you request the support service in advance.

Access to medication and medical devices

I In Hungary, medicines are divided into two groups based on social security coverage: non-subsidised and subsidised medicines. 

Subsidised medicines are decided centrally; you can ask your doctor to prescribe a medicine that is subsidised by the social security system. The rate of subsidy is also centrally determined and can be 80%, 55% or 25% of the full price. The fee of medication is the following: total prize – subsidy = subsidized price. There is no such thing as a completely free medicine, you have to pay for 300 HUF for the medication’s box at least.

You can find medicines with or without social security subsidies in any pharmacy. To find a pharmacy near you, search for “Pharmacy” or “”Pharmacy” on Google Maps

Diabetes support

On diabhelp.hu you can find out how to get insulin and essential supplies for 300 forints (“box fee”) if you have diabetes, including the steps doctors take to prescribe insulin and diabetes medicines for you, how pharmacists dose your insulin and how to get supplies.

Wheelchair, hearing aid or any other medical devices

Outside the social insurance system, you can rent medical devices at a reasonable price at several NGOs:

Healthcare workers coming from Ukraine

TP beneficiaries and Hungarian nationals previously living in Ukraine who hold a state-recognized healthcare qualification issued by Ukrainemay begin performing healthcare services in Hungary before the formal recognition of their professional qualification. However, the recognition procedure needs to be started. Until it is completed, healthcare professionals can work with the supervision of an entitled medical professional authorized to practice in Hungary. For reference, please see the applicable legislation: Government decree 121/2022 of 28 March.

Our partners to help you with health issues

If you need help with your access to healthcare, you can also contact our partners who also offer individual consultations. Some of our parnter organisations:  

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Menedék Association :  Contact | Menedék (menedek.hu)  

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Hungarian Helsinki Committee: Kapcsolat – Magyar Helsinki Bizottság