Nemes János: Healing Budapest - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1993)
Pharmacists and Opticians
patience. It often takes a very long time, sometimes years and can cause a lot of strain. Only a certain group of patients can receive this treatment, predominantly those handicapped from birth. The Institute also has a section treating multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and hemiplegia (unilateral paralysis) patients. Some five hundred Hungarian and one hundred foreign children are treated here annually, plus the one thousand patients treated at out-patients’ departments and consulting offices. The college of the Institute has trained 263 Hungarian and 44 foreign students (from Israel, England and Japan). The method has been “exported”. Hungarian scientists founded the first English conductive pedagogical centre at Birmingham (Jniversity. Treatment for foreign patients is not cheap. They are charged 24 for a half-day session, 36 for a full day. This is doubled if the involvement of parents is necessary. Don’t forget: treatment may take several weeks, or even months! (Address: 1125 Budapest, xii, Kútvölgyi út 6. Tel: 201-4533) Pharmacists and opticians Pharmacists The Hungarian pharmaceutical industry has a long history. Clntil recently Richter Gedeon and Chinoin were capable of keeping pace with the strong international competition. Their export figures were high; true, they exported mostly to our Eastern European neighbours. Foreign drugs were always available in Hungary, though, due to market restrictions, mostly produced here under license. The shift to a market economy has shaken the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry fundamentally. Today, almost every larger Western pharmaceutical concern is represented on the Hungarian market, competing with, forcing out, merging with Hungarian firms. There is a wide variety of goods, every important medicine is available, but the prices have increased enormously. Despite the 80 to 90 percent national health insurance support, buying medicine is getting 47
