According to international data, it is estimated that half a million people in Hungary suffer from sleep apnoea, in medical terms: obstructive sleep apnoea.
85 percent of the affected people consider snoring to be an inconvenience related to ageing rather than an illness, so most complainants do not even go to the doctor. For primary health care physicians, it is not at all a routine question to ask about the night rest, and questions related to people’s lifestyle are mostly restricted to smoking, alcohol consumption and physical activity. This may partly be due to the fact that even universities do not give enough emphasis to this area.
"Those who would like to come to us today can schedule an appointment to our sleep laboratory for September," says dr. Béla Faludi, president of the Hungarian Society for Sleep Medicine, head of department at the University of Pécs. The list of appointments for several months or more than six months is not unusual, there are a total of 13 publicly funded sleep laboratories in the country, the biggest is at the Honvéd Hospital and the rest of them are at the clinics of the four medical universities.
This is roughly one-eighth of the supply considered appropriate by international professional recommendations.
For performing an overnight instrumental examination, the so-called polysomnography, the National Health Insurance Fund provides approximately 20,000 HUF. The social security premium of less than 60 euros is one-tenth of the fund in Germany, but even in Romania the insurance company pays 200 euros.
“There are several tests for which no HUF funding is provided, although the testing is required by international professional standards. Therefore, it is no wonder that sleep diagnostic centres produce massive losses for hospitals and clinics, "says dr. Béla Faludi.
The Sleep Center in Pécs carries out 2,500 tests per year, which provides care for about a thousand patients. In the Hungarian private sector, the cost of a complete examination with diagnosis and the required treatment is close to 100,000 HUF.
Source:
HVG