Doktor24 and Union Acquire Largest Countryside Private Hospital

The acquisition makes Doktor24 one of the largest healthcare providers in the country. It and its partner Union Biztosító are buying the clinic through their joint subsidiary, Első Magánegészségügyi Hálózat (EMH) Zrt. The deal was signed in the last days of 2021, and the transition has since been approved by the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH).

“With the acquisition, four million people in Hungary can reach us within an hour at the most. Da Vinci Private Clinic is the largest private healthcare provider outside Budapest, offering professional medical quality at affordable prices,” said Róbert Lancz, CEO of Doktor24 Medicina Zrt.

Union Biztosító CEO Gabriella Almássy noted, “Union is the market leader and market shaper in the health insurance segment, and in line with its market position, it is constantly working to provide better and more comprehensive services to its customers in Budapest and the countryside. I am delighted that thanks to our joint acquisition, we have taken a big step forward in this area in the South Transdanubian region as well.”

The predecessor of the Da Vinci Private Clinic in Pécs was founded in 2005. The panoramic, modern building opened its doors in 2011 and, within a short time, became the most significant private service provider in Transdanubia, with two operation theaters, 22 inpatient beds, two delivery rooms, 18 specialist clinics and around 120 doctors serving clients in an exclusive environment.

The clinic provides complex and wide-ranging healthcare services: its inpatient multispecialty surgery covers 12 areas, with the highest patient volumes in orthopedic and plastic surgery. Outpatient care offers 47 different services, with gynecology, obstetrics and gastroenterology being the main specialties.

In 2021, the Pécs clinic had more than 42,000 doctor-patient appointments, 39,000 consultations and examinations in outpatient care, and performed 3,200 surgeries; its turnover was HUF 3.6 billion.

Strong Partner

“In 10 years, we have built one of the largest and most successful private hospitals in Hungary in Pécs. To move forward from here, we needed a partner with strong capital and unquestionable expertise. Doktor24 is such a partner: its national infrastructure and insurance background benefits both our clients and our doctors,” says Antal Kovács, managing director of Da Vinci Kft., who will remain at the helm of the company, running the private clinic as a member of Doktor24’s senior management.

After the acquisition, Doktor24 now has a capacity of more than 10,000 surgeries annually. The company is chosen as a healthcare service partner by around 300,000 private clients and more than 1,500 SMEs annually, with the number of doctor-patient encounters reaching 350,000 per year.

Doktor24 started building its national network in 2020 with the acquisition of the Kastélypark Clinic in Tata and the long-established Svábhegyi Pediatric Hospital. Last year, together with Union, the company acquired the Life Health Center in Székesfehérvár.

In the fall of 2021, the company launched the Doktor24 Multiklinika in South Buda, a HUF 3 bln greenfield investment. Last year also saw the opening of the Move rehabilitation and regeneration center in Budapest’s District XIII, and a Doktor24 outpatient center in Paks (127 km south of Budapest by road).

Semmelweis Uni Partnering With AstraZeneca

Semmelweis University, Hungary’s top medical school, and the Hungarian unit of AstraZeneca have signed a strategic partnership agreement, the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company said, according to portfolio.hu. The deal concerns the extension of joint research and development activity, common programs for treating and diagnosing patients, and studies of diseases such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and cardiac failure. The parties said that AstraZeneca has already cooperated with the university in almost two-thirds of its clinical trials, but the percentage could exceed 80% due to the new partnership. Béla Merkely, the university’s rector, said the results of the joint work are expected to be utilized in patient care. AstraZeneca spends HUF 2 bln a year on R&D activity in Hungary. AstraZeneca Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató had revenue of more than HUF 15 bln in 2020, including export sales of HUF 2.5 bln.

Pharma Companies Make Most Trademark Applications in 2021

There were 4,192 trademark registrations filed with the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office last year, according to a report by news agency MTI. Most applications came from pharmaceutical companies (Egis and Richter), the government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Hungarian Tourism Agency), but several other Hungarian companies (such as WeLoveShirts, Lajver Borház) also filed. The number of registrations was the highest since 2012, when there were 4,599. Hungary’s oldest trademark is for mineral water Apenta, which was registered in April 1899.

NCP Sees Flu-like Patients Rise 29%

According to reports from doctors participating in the monitoring service, between Jan. 15-23, 15,400 people saw their doctor with flu-like symptoms, 29% more than in the previous week. Still, there is no flu epidemic in Hungary yet, the National Public Health Center (NCP) said in a report published on its website on Feb. 2. It was stressed that the symptoms of coronavirus infections are not clinically distinguishable from influenza-like syndromes, especially if caused by the fifth wave’s omicron variant. Virological data clearly shows that a significant proportion of patients who see a doctor with flu-like symptoms have a coronavirus infection, the NCP notes.

Baja Hospital Receiving Equipment Worth HUF 300 mln

The St. Rókus Hospital in Baja (160 km south of Budapest) will set up a state-of-the-art gastroenterology examination and purchase tools for the early detection of diseases with an investment of about HUF 300 million, according to Gábor Tóth, the general director of the institution, writes profitline.hu. From the amount, won in a tender set up by the Ministry of Human Capacities, the hospital’s equipment will be modernized, and building renovation works will be started, he added. The hospital will acquire a so-called Spekt-Isotope device, which puts much less strain on the patient’s body than older equipment. It will also provide an extremely comprehensive picture of problems with, for example, the thyroid gland, lymph nodes and bone structure.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of February 11, 2022.