DUIHK CEO Breakfast briefing, May 22, 2024

This CEO Breakfast by the AHK Ungarn - DUIHK - Német-Magyar Ipari és Kereskedelmi Kamara - German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce - and the BBJ - Budapest Business Journal, hosted by the Anantara New York Palace Hotel, delved into the health of the Hungarian healthcare system.

Our roundtable panel comprised Dr Judit Bidló, Deputy State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, responsible for healthcare; Dr Ádám Nagy, Deputy State Secretary for Industry Affairs, responsible for strategic planning at the Ministry for Economic Development; and Dr Tamas Radai Managing Director of the Association of Health Technology Suppliers and Medial Device Manufacturers (ETOSz).

Moderated by BBJ editor-in-chief Robin Marshall MBE, they discussed the current budget for Hungarian healthcare and where that money comes from, efforts to improve funding and recruitment in the sector (both of which are below the EU average), the government's strategic plan for developing Hungarian healthcare, and the opportunities for Hungarian and foreign companies to invest in the healthcare system under the new industrial strategy (will the government favor local suppliers in the future)? 

A number of questions also came from the floor, indicating the audience's appreciation for the panel's expertise and desire to learn more.

Perhaps the biggest takeaways were the government's stated desire to fix the budget problem by coming up with a new, more efficient structure rather than simply trying to manage the problem by throwing more money at it and an apparent eagerness to consult with the private sector before launching new initiatives.