A gratuity guide: what gifts can a doctor accept?
By pushing the envelope, you can not only get the doctor and nurse in trouble, but also yourself. How can we say thank you, if not with money? What kind of gift can the doctor accept? The End of Holidays portal has found out.
The law making gratuity pay impossible came into force on 1 January 2021 with the restructuring of the health care service. On paper, anyone who gives, asks for or accepts gratuities can now be punished. This describes the offence of bribery, which also applies to doctors, as they are also considered public officials, writes Holiday.
The legislature allowed two narrow exceptions:
- A one-time gift of small value (not exceeding 5% of minimum wage) may be given after treatment. This is about 13,000 forints and cannot be more valuable.
- Once every two months in the case of long-term hospitalisation.
Giving and accepting money, vouchers, services or promised benefits is prohibited - it is punishable under criminal law.
It is important that the gift should not be a monetary benefit, should not refer to any consideration and should not exceed HUF 13,340 (which is exactly 5% of the minimum wage in 2025).
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