Thousands attend Budapest health insurance protest

Some 2,000 demonstrators organised by six trade union federations and several NGOs protested outside the Prime Minister's Office Saturday in favour of keeping the present health insurance system. The demonstrators demanded the government to revoke the bill on creating a multi-player health insurance regime. Opposition politicians and Communist Party chairman Gyula Thürmer were also among the gathering.

Speaking on behalf of Workers Councils, which brought most of the demonstrators, Imre Palkovics called for unity and urged the government to stop surrendering the Ft 1,500 billion health insurance fund to business circles, charging that the bill only serves the interests of investors.

Demonstrators blew horns and booed when János Borsik, chairman of the Autonomous Unions, criticised Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and said the Socialist Party increasingly gives in to blackmail by the Free Democrats, abandoning left-wing values. If the demonstrators' demands are not met, then they will take to the streets again in larger numbers, he said.

The demonstrators called on Speaker Katalin Szili to help launch a social dialogue about health insurance. The unions organising the demonstrations were joined by the Chamber of Hungarian Physicians, the National Society of Large Families, the Human Chain for Hungary and Védegylet.

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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