In the latest edition of the government video series "Closer to Life", Minister Prof. Dr. Miklós Kásler spoke about the reasons for the reduction of the epidemic, the importance of further vaccination, and the prominent role of family doctors in this. He said that next year more than HUF 2,800 billion will go to the health sector, so the comprehensive development of the sector can continue, in contrast to the austerity measures of the Gyurcsány government.
He talked about Katalin Karikó's award and also about what was said between them during the face-to-face meeting. In the end, the minister didn't hide his younger sporting lifestyle or his supporter ties either.
Apart from Malta, there is not a single country on the European continent whose level of vaccination can be compared to Hungary's, he said in relation to the current epidemic situation. He added: In the case of the British, the vaccination rate is slightly higher and we are in that position, we are keeping our watchful eyes on London in the case of epidemiological issues.
With regard to the domestic virus situation, he pointed out that although the epidemic has receded due to mass vaccinations, the virus is here among us. Anyone who does not vaccinate is gambling with getting the infection - he warned everyone.
In connection with his online vaccination registration, he asked family doctors to visit those living in worse social conditions who either cannot handle modern technology or do not have it.
Regarding the 2022 budget of the health sector, he said: next year it will be more than HUF 2,800 billion. This is HUF 1,700 billion more than in 2010. Compared to this year, 770 billion forints more will be spent on healthcare next year. This extremely large sum will serve the complete transformation of Hungarian health care, the development of quality, the renewal of technologies, and infrastructural developments, the head of the ministry listed.
In the video interview, he also responded to the continuous left-wing attacks on healthcare. The Orbán government responded to the accusations that, until the start of the epidemic, it spent nothing on healthcare except for maintenance: when the left was in power, 16,000 hospital beds were canceled. Six hundred billion forints were taken from the healthcare sector, and at that time more than 6,000 healthcare workers left the field. Hospitals were closed, and I could continue to list the harmful consequences of their operation, he reminded.
This week, Prof. Dr. Miklós Kásler presented Prof. Dr. Katalin Karikó with the Semmelweis Prize for the development of the mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus. In this regard, he explained: Both Ignác Semmelweis and Katalin Karikó came up with an idea and, knowing they were right, stuck to their idea. "Because the truth is the truth even if one person tells it," he quoted St. Thomas of Aquvinó. Katalin Karikó rightfully received almost all Hungarian awards, including the Semmelweis Award.
Regarding his connection to sports, the head of the ministry also talked about the fact that while he mainly did gymnastics in high school, he played tennis almost every day in university and afterwards. Even now, I owe my remaining fitness to what sports gave me for a lifetime at a younger age.
At the end of the video, the minister said that it was a great pleasure to meet the table tennis player István Jónyer, who was elected Sportsman of the Nation after the death of Sarolta Monspart. If table tennis were an Olympic sport, I am sure that Jónyer would be a multiple Olympic champion.
Source: MTI/OS/ government.hu
