Wide-Scale Bribery Alleged at Budapest Hospital Ward
- 24 Aug 2021 10:45 AM
- Hungary Around the Clock
The head nurse of a Budapest hospital asked the relatives of a patient to pay Ft 170,000 a month so that an elderly woman could stay in a long-term illnesses ward, 444 reports.
The head nurse presented a detailed list of how the money would be divided, with the head doctor on the ward getting Ft 50,000, his deputy Ft 20,000, the head nurse Ft 25,000, the physiotherapist Ft 5,000 and each of ten nurses Ft 7,000.
The hospital management launched an internal inquiry, which led to no result.
The management then approached the National Defence Service (NVSZ) which began an investigation into suspected bribery. The NVSZ later filed a report to the police.
The 45-year-old head nurse was questioned as a suspect by Budapest police but made no statement.
Borbála Fernezelyi of the Civil Liberties Union told 444 that she approves of the investigation launched by the hospital director once the director learnt about the suspected corruption.
She said this is a systemic problem rather than an individual case, as many families are forced to find accommodation at the nursing wards of hospitals for their relatives who rely on health care services, as the waiting lists are long in social care institutions, while home nursing is expensive and often cannot be arranged.
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