Health handicaps and advantages of the rural population in Hungary.

In many countries rural health is an accepted part of the healthcare system and an independent discipline. In Hungary, rural health has been an important part of the healthcare system from the 19th Century. From the 1980s there have been reports of common problems in rural health internationally, such as accessibility, socio-economic inequalities and the influence of cultural background on access to services. However, in Hungary there have been no data collected concerning healthcare services in rural areas. The purpose of a survey in the year 2000 was, therefore, to establish a valid database with the aim of improving healthcare equality between the rural and urban populations in Hungary.