At the end of the 18th century, Enlightened Absolutism assigned 'medical and public health' issues a pivotal place among government tasks; the establishment of health administration began. Within the Council of Governor-General responsible for public administration in the country, the heath field came under the authorty of chief medical officer (1786) and the health department (1792) in subordination to him, while local issues were attended to by the medical officers of the countries.

The chief medical officer (who would correspond to the minister of health of today) was responsible for medical education, overseeing the medical-public health director, supervising hospitals and pharmacies, preventing epidemics, and setting up wartime and military health services in case of wars. This system remained unchanged until 1848, when the first responsible government assigned civilian health care first to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Agriculture, subsequently in Spring 1849, to the Ministry of the Interior; a separate organisation was set up within the Ministry of National Defence, while medical education became the responsibility of the Ministry of Religion and Public Education. After the fall of the Revolution and War of Independence in 1849, the status prevailing before 1848 was reinstated and in place until the Compromise [Ausgleich - Kiegyezés] with administration governed by the Health Code of 1772 (as amended in 1831).

After the Compromise (1867), health administration was reorganised pursuant to the laws of 1848 with health care coming under the Ministry of the Interior as part of public administration. A Secretary of State headed the apparatus of health administration with a National Public Health Council to advise the minister in his decisions. Entitled to make comments and motions, the Council?s area of responsibilities embraced prevention, patient care, the institutional system and drafting legislation. In the counties and cities coming under the Ministry of the Interior, organisations with a similar structure were set up and the whole system was administered in compliance with Act 14 of 1876 (The Public Health Act). As early as after the adoption of this Act (which was amended in 1908) the issue of making health 'independent', i.e. organising a separate ministry, was raised, and although it was considered to be justified, no measure was taken until 1920. Medical education continued to come under the supervision of the Ministry of Religion and Public Education.

In 1920, a Ministry of Welfare was set up and tasked with administering employment and social affairs, furthermore, it took over the entire health administration from the Ministry of the Interior. The 'efforts of having an independent ministry' seemed to be turning into reality. Never had this portfolio been headed by a medical doctor, professional control happened at the level of the secretary of state. As the two differing administrative approaches (i.e. employment and social affairs versus the special healthcare-medical issues) gave rise to conflicts within the Ministry of Welfare, the status as of 1867 was reinstated and the ministerial staff dealing with health-public health went back to the Ministry of the Interior (the Ministry of Health's departments in charge of public health-patient care were located in buildings in the Caste District, Streets Országház and Táncsics).

The Provisional Government elected in Debrecen in December 1944 assigned the responsibility of health administration again to the Ministry of Welfare that it had just set up. This Ministry was headquartered at 1-3, Akadémia utca from May 1945 until 1951, the date when the Ministry or Health was set up and moved to 10, Akadémia utca. The Ministry of Health's scope of authority included, in addition to the 'traditional' fields of public health and health administration and prevention, institutions of medical and professional education, balneology and sanatoria, etc. The Ministry acquitted itself of the task of controlling this huge field through its own departments, national agencies tasked with specific activities and a network of national institutes, with subordinated administrative and supervisory units on the county, riding and municipal levels. The Ministry of Health moved to its current location at 4-6, Arany János utca in 1981 (the building used to house the National Planning Office).

For some years prior to the change of the political system, it operated as the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs (1986-1990), subsequently it held together the administration of this area again as Ministry of Welfare, although medical education has been part of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Public Education since 1990. In 1998, the ministry was again split with a separate Ministry of Health in charge of the health sector and the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs being responsible for family protection.

Károly Kapronczai DPhil
Semmelweis Museum of Medical History

Editorial notice: In May 2002, the new government merged the tasks and set up the Ministry of Health, Social and Family Affairs. In October 2004 due to the change in the government structure the ministry was split. Pension, family and social issues have been transferred to the newly established Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The Ministry of Health is responsible for health issues.