Last year’s number was similar to that in 2004, when 38 877 practised. In 2014, there were 38,944 doctors, after which there was a slight downturn before last year’s record. The number of working doctors has increased by 22% over a decade.

Despite persistent government support, however, there were fewer GPs last year: 6,173 altogether.

Still, the number of residents per GP has remained quite steady over recent years, the paper said. Fewer doctors have applied for permits to work abroad, with 334 applications in 2017.

Fully 1,498 doctors who have applied for such a permit over recent years are working in Hungary today, either because they did not in the end move abroad or have since come back to Hungary.

Others divide their time between home and abroad, the paper added.