To Tip Medical Staff or Not to Tip?

I'm Hungarian and I have never tipped anyone working in the healthcare system in my life. Oops! My bad! One time only - after giving birth I paid to the gynaecologist since he was my private doctor with fix tariffs. Other than that I have never given anyone tips. People in Hungary just think they HAVE to give because everybody gives.
I agree though that in case of operations doctors expect money, so just try to ask fellow patients or even the assistant of the doctor how much they think it is reasonable to give.
I'm sorry there is no rule for these things, no wonder why your neighbour couldn't really help you

I have lately stopped tipping for every little visit. I notice some of the doctors, the older ones mostly smile and try hard to get a tip. They don't even do anything much but pass you on to another doc.
It is good to know that not everyone tips, I don't feel so bad not giving now.

My husband said the tipping custom started a long time ago when most people lived in the country and paid their doctors in goods, sausages, bottles of Palinka, eggs etc.
Somehow over time it got to where people gave cash under the table, he isn't sure when that happened but he swears it didn't happen when it was soviet here, at least he never remembered that practice.
His step-father did go into a dentist once and did not tip. The next visit the dentist pulled out the wrong tooth! Wonder if it was an honest accident or if the dentist was just trying to teach him a lesson on tipping.
Sort of scary because many people can't even come up with money for food let alone tipping doctors for every little thing.
My husband might just be worried over nothing but he wonders if the doctors mark your name as Tipper or non Tipper in their books and treat you different depending on what's in it for them.

I agree with szamira. There is no need to tip. In fact the current government actually made it illegal. Briefly. Then they backpedaled and said tips were allowed at any hospital where the head administrator said it was okay.

People tip to the medical profession out of fear, or in hopes of getting better treatment.

But a tip should be a thank you for stellar service or as a thank you (if I won at a card table in Reno, I would tip the dealer). Anything else I consider a bribe, grease money, or extortion. This is not even unique to Hungary. In recent years in the US tipping has become, in the eyes of some, obligatory. I am thinking specifically of those waiters/waitresses that expect always a 20% tip regardless of the service they provide. Nonsense. If anyone wants to call me "old school" they can, but for me if they provide bad service, the tip will suffer.

In Hungary, I never give tips to private dentists or doctors as they run a business and I expect them to bill me a fair price for their professional expertise, and I expect a bill and receipt for my payment. Nor do I tip for simple office visits covered under national health. For medical students, I would say you already tipped them by letting them practice on you as part of their training.

But if you want to tip the dental students, do so because you appreciate their service and want to acknowledge that to them, not out of fear or what you think is "expected". And tip in a way or amount that you think expresses that appreciation. A tip can also be from the heart, not just from the purse. For example, maybe while they treated you, you learned they love the opera, so give them a pair of good seats to the opera.

Finally, if you do not trust your doctor or dentist to do the right thing if you fail to "tip", then you should just seek another doctor. As for myself, if someone pulled the wrong tooth on me, my next trip would be to my attorney. Even in Hungary. I do not care if it was bad will or incompetence, it should not be tolerated. But Hungarians do seem to tolerate more than I think they should. And I understand why there is not an overt suing culture here, unlike the US, because you have to pay your attorney here up front, and not many people can afford that (not to mention the realities of the Hungarian judicial system). And the powers that be (TPTB) know that, and can keep people in fear as the people believe they have no fair recourse available to them. It thus appears, to me at least, that many people would rather just pay a "tip", keep quiet, and hope for the best.

Do note however: I have never had surgery in Hungary so can not say what I would do there, but probably would do what I did when I broke my hand in Hungary.... get if fixed abroad.

Tipping is only legal after the procedure, like after the operation etc, and not before, that is illegal. I heard about convinctions because of that.
Klaselle, we se lawyers in a negative light.

"In Hungary, I never give tips to private dentists or doctors as they run a business and I expect them to bill me a fair price for their professional expertise."

I once asked a private dentist in Budapest about tipping and he said it wasn't the custom to tip in such an office, that tipping was normally a custom in public clinics and hospitals.

Crazy update on tipping doctors here in Hungary.
Was sent to my local surgeon by the district derma doc. to have a tiny mole removed from my back, my request in my vanity.

Went in and realized this was the same old doctor who removed a tiny spot on my foot a couple years ago after I dropped something on my foot and it made a blood blister that would not go away.
I went in alone for my foot surgery, seriously had to go into a real operating room for a tiny thing that should of been easy to cut out in an office setting.
I did not tip for my foot and in all hopes of getting a tip out of me the old doc. had me come in for no less then 4 follow up visits just to change my band-aid and take out the 2 stitches.
Ok, this time he was not taking any chances. He asked my husband to come into the operating room, had 2 nurse helping him with my "surgery". He , the poor old guy, was walking and dragging his leg, could hardly stand, could hardly breath making huffing and puffing sounds like he was dying while working on me.
Cut a huge area on my back because he was either unsure or lazy, put in 6 stitches, which is going to look worst then the tiny mole and because my husband and I did not hand him some dough up front got no instructions at all on wound care or a date to return to get the stitches out.
Guess I will just look on line and self treat,geez...

Guess I'll be pulling out my own stitches in 10 day or so. No tip, no service with the doctor I was sent to.
can't believe he gave no follow up instructions for 6 stitches...

That's funny actually, just so obvious the old doc was doing his little extortion thing on us.
I thought for a bit that I would have to get off the operating table and give him CPR! Seriously, he should of retired a decade ago.

Thanks for the info about stitches.
Will have my husband play "doctor" on Monday. ok, that does sound a bit off...
I was feeling very confident yesterday going to the dental school by myself.
My husband has a bad cold and I didn't want to drag him around town.
Been going for over 6 months time for dental treatment at the dental school for a fractured tooth. My private dentist was not able to help me with the fracture, lack of special equipment for one thing.
Have a nice young lady doing the work but she sent me for some oral surgery 7 weeks back to build up some bone in the jaw before going on with a crown and stint.
Had to go in yesterday to see the surgeon to get the ok for her to go one with treatment.
Silly me, I know his first name but lost the card with his full name on it. Honestly all the dark hairded young men look about the same to me these days.
Husband wrote me a note to take in, was sent to the surgical floor and waited to be called in for a quick 2 min. look at the healing inside my mouth.
Waited and waited, was told he would leave on Monday's the only day to see him by noon time.
I asked to other student doctors as they walked in the hall if he was in or not. One took down my name and said he would ask if my guy was in or not.
One hour and 15 min.s later, I was still waiting, noon had come and gone and I just walked out.
Now I have lost a bit of confidence in taking care of my own business here. Hate to be an adult and be treated like a 5 year old all the time.
i wonder if I had cash money in my hand and said I wanted to give my guy a gift if anyone would of come out and checked on me or not?
I have no idea if he was in or not since the other resident took my name and never came out from the office again.

Thanks for the concern. I am ok, they look clean still.
My friend had major surgery in the UK and only got 4 stitches, geez, the doctor here was trying to skin me alive!!
Such a tiny little thing on my skin, no need for 6 stitches! Live and learn, at least it was not on my face.

Update for Tuesday. The oral surgeon must of got the message I was looking for him yesterday.
He called our flat today around noon time.
Wants to see me in the morning to have a look.
nice young man, just don't understand why his fellow residents gave me the whole passive/aggresive thing yesterday.
Would of been a snap if my hubby went with yesterday. I now have real understanding of immigrants issues in the US.
the only difference is there we usually take extra care of people who don't speak English, we want them to get the help they need. No place like home as they say...

There's also a thing called dissolving thread, albeit I somehow doubt you got that. :-/
Sorry to hear about your misadventures.

Yes, that would of been nice if that old doctor used that thread. My husband pulled the stitches out, good thing he has a steady hand. His hands were more steady then the doctors were.
I have no idea why we seem to have the worst luck with doctors here. My husband recently at my request saw a few different skin doctors, got a huge run around and then finally was sent to a skin clinic to see a group of doctors. They said he has skin cancer on his nose but to wait 6 more weeks before they decide what is next. WTheck?
I also saw a special cancer doctor for the same thing on my arm. In the US they wanted to just cut it out but I had to return to HU before they had time. Now here in Hungary they totally just told me it looks, alright to them.
They don't take many things very seriously here.
We may just go into a private doctor for those issues since the national health seems a bit iffy.
We are getting older and small things happen health wise no matter how good shape you think you are in. The national health seems ok for "normal" small visits but for anything that is more complicated they like to pass you along to many doctors and no one wants to actually do anything.