New legal status of doctors to guarantee more predictable career paths

In a statement, the ministry called the law a significant step forward in the status of those choosing a career in health care.

It noted that doctors have received multiple wage increases in recent years, adding that the government will launch an even more significant wage rise scheme next year. Nurses are also seeing their wages increase and general practitioners are receiving more support, the ministry added.

The new legal status of health professionals set to be introduced from April 1, 2021 will guarantee more predictable and clearer wage conditions for workers in the public health-care sector, it said. The new status seeks to improve the quality and ensure the security of the public health-care system and eliminate employment anomalies and abuses that stem from the overlap between public and private practices, the ministry said.

The government took into consideration the proposals of the chamber of doctors, for instance, with regard to the rules on the mandatory transfer of doctors from one locality to another, it said. Under the decree, doctors are to be notified of their transfer at least ten working days in advance.

The decree lists several exemptions from transfers which include, among others, doctors who are pregnant, raising a child younger than three years, raising a child younger than 16 years as a single parent and doctors who are caring for a relative.

The government decree on the new legal status of doctors was published in the official gazette Magyar Kozlony on Saturday.