Hungary launches public hospital infection data system

Health Minister Zsolt Hegedűs announced that, starting in September, institutional data on healthcare‑associated infections in Hungarian hospitals will be publicly available. The National Nosocomial Surveillance System (NNSR) database, managed by the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service (NNGYK), will supply the figures, and a new methodology has been finalized to define what is published and how it should be interpreted.

The initiative aims to strengthen patient safety, support quality improvement in hospitals and increase transparency of the health system. The data will not be presented as a simple ranking because infection rates are influenced by patient case‑mix and care complexity; supplementary indicators will be provided to give a more nuanced view. The methodology was developed with infection‑control experts, professional bodies and hospital representatives.