Most Hungarians See Tipping Doctors After Treatment As A Crime

  • 27 Feb 2019 7:05 AM
  • Hungary Matters
Most Hungarians See Tipping Doctors After Treatment As A Crime
A majority of Hungarians disapprove of tipping doctors after treatment and want the practice to be classed as a crime, according to Hungarian Academy of Sciences researchers.

Few, however, are familiar with recent legislation that criminalises the acceptance of a gratuity payment in advance, according to the survey conducted by the academy’s Centre for Social Sciences.

Fully 56% of respondents said paying gratuities after treatment should be punished, the survey of 1,200 people carried out last October found.

Only 34% knew that accepting a gratuity in advance is a crime, the academy said in a statement on Tuesday.

Over 70% knew that doctors who accept a tip after treatment do not commit a crime.

But only 49% were aware that a doctor asking for a fee from a patient entitled to state health-care services free of charge is a crime under Hungarian law.

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