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Hungary – Down and out

August 18, 2010

Just a year ago, Hungary was close to bankruptcy. The government has since introduced various austerity measures. These saw the closure of psychiatric facilities which left many patients homeless.

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Ungarn Obdachlose
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The cuts have also meant the end of "Lipot", the country’s largest psychiatric clinic – built in the mid-19th century and no longer at the cutting edge of mental health care. The idea was for a number of new and smaller facilities to be built in its place, but the funds aren’t available. The plans have yet to get off the drawing board, and the patients themselves appear to be far from a priority.