Compared to 2010, the number of doctors working in Hungary grew by 10%, to just below 38,000, Rétvári said.

The number of those graduating from medical university has jumped by 40%, he added.

With a 27% wage hike in 2012- 2013, doctors’ salaries were raised by altogether 207,000 forints (EUR 662) in 2016-2017, he said.

Grants for resident doctors have also been raised, Rétvári noted, adding that the raises had helped slow emigration.

Speaking on public radio, Rétvári said that a shortage of doctors is a European phenomenon which impacts central and eastern Europe in particular.

Hungary employs a complex package of government measures to mitigate this tendency, he said.