25. 04. 2025
Minister of Health of SR Kamil Šaško met with Interior Minister Sándor Pintér and State Secretary for Health Péter Takács in Budapest. The negotiations took place in a spirit of deepening cooperation between Slovakia and Hungary in the field of health, with the highest emphasis on cross-border projects that bring real benefits to citizens of both states. Other topics of mutual cooperation were also discussed.
The Ministry of Interior of Hungary has been responsible for health management in Hungary since 2022. The Minister of State for Health is active in the Hungarian Interior Department. For this reason, the Hungarian Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér and State Secretary Péter Takács were partners on mutual discussions on health issues of the Minister of Health of the Slovak Republic. Both sides appreciated the very good relations of our countries in all areas of cooperation.
One of the main topics of the meeting was the proposal for a "Framework Agreement between the Slovak Republic and Hungary on cross-border cooperation in the field of emergency health services" and " As Minister K. Šaško said, cross-border cooperation with Hungary in the field of health emergency services is an important element of our bilateral relations as well as a practical tool for promoting cooperation at regional level. The first draft agreement has already been sent to the Hungarian side and we expect feedback.
I am convinced that the conclusion of this agreement will significantly simplify and speed up the intervention of emergency services in border areas, not only to promote the effectiveness of our cooperation, but in particular to protect the health and lives of the citizens of both countries, explained the Slovak Minister for Health. Another topic was the possibility of reimbursement of cross-border healthcare. In the context of cross-border cooperation, the question of possible coordination between insurance companies in Slovakia and Hungary and hospitals around the Danube is also raised in order to allow the planned exchange of patients for pre-defined performances such as births or oncology treatments. Another of the topics discussed was the digitisation of health. Slovakia is currently preparing for a pilot project with countries already connected to the central EU system for the exchange of patient digital data. –
Hungary is one of the ten countries that are actively using the system. We would very much like you to share with us your experience with eRecipe and Patient Summary from the point of view of technical implementation as well as real benefit to patients, said Minister Šaško at the negotiations in Budapest. They discussed together the possibility of technical consultations and exchanges of experience between experts from both countries.
Partners also discussed cooperation between both countries in the field of hospital and emergency care. The exchange of experience will enable a more effective response to the challenges and increase the quality of healthcare provided in both countries. During the talks, Hungary's Presidency was also touched by the Visegrad Group and the planned Memorandum of Understanding on cross-border development. At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed on the importance of health cooperation, which will bring significant benefits to citizens of both countries and improve the quality of healthcare provided.
