Hungarian GPs to stage anti-austerity rally tomorrow

General practitioners will stage a national rally in Budapest on Tuesday in protest against the government's austerity measures, Népszabadság reports. The Chamber of Hungarian Physicians expects more than 10,000 GPs, pediatricians and dentists to participate.

Those taking part are expected to authorise the Chamber to represent them in renegotiating contracts with the National Health Insurance Fund (OEP). GPs are demanding twice as much revenue as they currently receive for their general practice. At present an average practice with 1,500-1,600 patients can expect Ft 700,000 from the OEP, but most GPs say this not enough to pay for nurses, assistants, their own salaries, the upkeep of outpatients rooms, as well as materials used for treating patients.

National head doctor Ferenc Falus said outpatients clinics cannot be closed on Tuesday without any legal consequences as there are strict rules about organising on-call services and replacements.

In Friday protests against hospital closures, mothers gave a petition to save the Schöpf-Mérei Hospital in the Ninth District to President László Sólyom. More than 10,000 people signed the petition.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside Szent Rókus Hospital in the Eighth District to protest against its planned closure.

The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.

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