Miklós Kásler, Minister of Human Resources, has praised the “successful” end to the first phase of Hungary’s protective measures against the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The minister said the country’s healthcare system can now “gradually and carefully” return to its pre-epidemic routine. Kásler said Hungary’s healthcare professionals have gained a lot of experience during the epidemic, adding, at the same time, that “we have to reconsider our approach to various diseases, the structure of Hungarian healthcare, as well as the role of national institutes, medical universities and regional health centers”.
The minister noted the government’s national health program, which “provides a new approach to be followed by (changes in) structure”.
Kásler said that the treatment of COVID-19 patients is being centralized, “first to eight large hospitals in Budapest and then to the St. László Hospital and the Korányi Pulmonology Institute”. He added that coronavirus patients were now being treated in 41 hospitals nationwide, but 15 of them had only a few such patients each. Centralization is aimed at preventing the formation of infection clusters, as well as providing Covid-19 patients the best possible care, he added.
A call center set up for advice on the coronavirus can be reached on +36-80-277-455 and +36-80-277-456 or by email koronavirus@bm.gov.hu