Hungary Diabetes Pumps

There are 3,800 under 18 years of age, and 41,200 are adults. The number of new diabetes cases is forecasted to increase by 1,500 annually compared to the total population of Hungary. 

The Government of Hungary has included Type 1 diabetes and its treatment in its Priority Program, as announced by Katalin Novak, former Minister of Family Affairs and current President of Hungary. 

The state-of-the-art therapy for these patients is the use of insulin pumps. In Hungary, from September 1, 2021, the state-of-the-art, new generation insulin pump with sensor technology was introduced by two MedTech companies. Persons under 18 and young people in full-time secondary or higher education, up to 24, can receive a 98% subsidy for the pump, while adults will receive 80%.

If the patient uses a sensor to measure tissue glucose and uses a new generation insulin pump, they will receive a state subsidy for both. The rest can be paid from the public health insurance system, with children essentially getting the state-of-the-art technology for free. The decision has a budgetary impact of around HUF 2 billion. 

Naturally, the announced government program has raised the interest of both industry professionals and patients. Still, studies have shown that the current budget of HUF 2,5 billion is not enough to cover the expenses of the new insulin pumps and sensors. The budget would need to be increased to HUF 4 billion to cover costs adequately. At the time of the announcement, the government hadn’t fully allocated budgetary resources for the program nor set the legal environment for implementation.

For more information, please contact: Csilla.Viragos@trade.gov