Introduction of doctor visitation fee to be postponed

According to various news reports, the planned visitation fee (vizitdíj), payable by patients every time they visit their doctor, will be introduced on April 1, 2007 instead of January 1.

Mihály Kökény (MSZP), chairman of the health care committee, told radio.hu that the introduction of the new fee might be postponed due to administrative difficulties, but no decision has been made yet.

Kökény said the date of the introduction, which might be February 1 or March 1, depends on when the verification of social exemptions can be performed without causing anyone inconvenience. "It has turned out that local governments have difficulty in preparing, but I believe that suitable solutions can be found," he added.

Those who are entitled to paying a lower fee will pay Ft 100 (€0.38) instead of 300 (€1.16) at each visit. It is the task of local governments to issue three million cards to those who will get this allowance.

Meanwhile, the health care committee is proposing that children under 14 are exempted from paying visitation fee.

The government expects to make Ft 30 billion (more than €115 million) a year on visitation fees.

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