Hungary
| National policy | |
|---|---|
| National policy/strategy or official recommendations on HIV testing? | No |
| Who can administer HIV tests? | |
| Restrictions on who can legally administer HIV tests? | Yes |
| Which groups can legally do HIV testing? |
|
| Further comments | According to one of our respondents 'The situation is very peculiar. If you offer testing services to substance users as a low-threshold harm reduction service, then no medical personnel need to be present. For other risk groups, such as MSM, a doctor must be present. At the same time, you are allowed to do testing and counselling if you have attended the relevant 3-day course (partly held by me) and have obtained the certificate. The situation is thus very unclear. I, for example, offer testing on my own in my living room and in the fitness facility where I go. Nobody cares.' |
| Free HIV testing | |
| HIV testing free to all who want it? | Yes for all |
| Further comments | One of our respondents report 'HIV tests are free if you want it for your personal purpose and if you go to an STI clinic. These tests are anonymous if you ask specifically that you want anonymous testing - but you have to ask !. If you need a test for a work permit or for a visa, then you have to pay. Also, rapid tests are charged.If NGO based the testing experience is free of charge and completely anonymous'. |
| Is free HIV testing available? | Across whole country |
| Further comments | In principle HIV testing is avaiable across the whole country, but it is rare and difficult in the countryside. The main reason is lack of trust about confidentiality, lack of resources and information. |
| HIV testing restrictions | |
| HIV testing access restricted for some groups/populations? | No |
| Which groups are restricted | |
| Further comments | |
| Availability of testing in non-clinical settings | |
| Is testing available in any of the following ways? | |
| Postal HIV sampling legal? | No |
| Home HIV testing legal? | No |
| Community testing at NGOs legal? | Yes |
| Community/outreach event testing legal? | Yes |
| Other | An activist respondent notes 'we organise testing anywhere we can, Im my house, the fitness facilty I use, in bars - anyhwhere that will lets us !' |
| Rapid tests used by community based testing services/initiatives? | |
| Anonymity/Confidentiality of HIV testing | |
| Anonymous testing available? | Yes |
| If yes, please give details | Nurses usually ask for the social security card, but you are not obliged to give it. The good thing is: You can get an anonymous test by law. The bad thing is: Many people, including health care providers, don |
| If not, why not, what sort of information is required and is there any promise of confidentiality? | |
| Discrimination & equality | |
| Legislation | |
| Legislation protecting the rights of people with HIV? | Yes |
| Further comments | Only available in Hungarian - and as not specific to HIV - embedded in many other documents. The issues are that the law is not observed, people have low legal literacy about their rights, and even when they are aware are fearful of coming forward to asset their rights. |
| Other key populations | |
| Needle exchange available for people who inject drugs? | Yes |
| Further comments | Yes, but to an alarmingly decreasing extent. Harm reduction programs are actively harassed and closed. Needle exchange rates are very low. The WHO recommendation for the rate of needle exchange is 200 per year. Hungary stands at 30 |
| Opiate substitution therapy available? | Yes |
| Further comments | Very difficult to access, often associated with criminalisation and overt or inferred forced deterrent programmes. |
| Are PWID (people who inject drugs) excluded from HIV treatment while actively using drugs? | No |
| Further comments | |
| Legal to sell sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | For further information: http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work/361/Hungary |
| Legal to buy sex? | Yes |
| Further comments | One of our respondents notes 'Hungarian legal regulations are often quoted as the example for hypocrisy. While sex work is theoretically permitted, the regulations are so cumbersome and strict, and also so expensive to comply with, that most sex workers work illegally'. it is further noted on http://spl.ids.ac.uk/sexworklaw that their are laws preventing women with HIV from selling sex or requiring them to disclose their staus to clients. |
| Access to HIV Treatment | |
| Free access to HIV treatment? | Don't know |
| Further comments | |
| Status and access to HIV treatment and care in your country | |
| Access to HIV treatment restricted for certain populations with HIV? | Don't know |
| Which groups are restricted? | |
| If more than one of the above populations selected, please give more information | |
| Status | |
| Country status | EU |
| Mobility in Europe | |
| Do the following groups/populations have legal access to HIV treatment? (i.e provided on the same basis as citizens of the country) | |
| Legal treatment access: Other EU migrant nationals | Yes there is universal access |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | General rules that apply to EU citizens in terms of accessing healthcare are also applicable to HIV. |
| Legal treatment access: general non-EU migrants | Yes but there are exceptions |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | The regulations are very unclear. Sometimes it depends on the benevolence of the doctors. |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants with asylum/refugee status | Don't know |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | The entire migration issue in Hungary has become so complex and problematic, and there is so much hysteria around it that it is impossible to understand what is happening. |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants who are undocumented | Don't know |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | These people are either expelled from the country immediately, or they choose not to stay here in the main. |
| Further comments | |
| About this data | |
| Last minor revision | 12 July 2016 |
| Last major revision | 5 January 2017 |
| Published | 19 January 2017 |
| Data sources | As well as responses
from in-country individuals and organisations information and data was taken
from the following sources: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/aids/Pages/monitoring-dublin-declaration.aspx Sex Work Laws These included https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_by_country#Europe The Global Network of Sex Work Projects www.nswp.org and country sources and http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work and http://spl.ids.ac.uk/sexworklaw Drug use Needle exchange information was taken from Harm Reduction International who have an interactive tool https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction Criminal Law http://criminalisation.gnpplus.net has useful info about the criminal law and is searchable by country as well as http://www.hivjustice.net/site/countries/ MSM http://ilga.org/what-we-do/state-sponsored-homophobia-report/ (2016) |
| Data contacts | Responses were
received from PLUSS Foundation and EATG (www.eatg.org) |