This is a much higher share than in most other EU countries. The practice of making informal payments is rooted in the early 1950s and remains deeply embedded in the Hungarian health care system as an informal method to get quicker access to and better-quality care. Moreover, informal payments have been used indirectly as an argument for governments to keep the official income of health care professionals persistently low. The lack of a dear and consistent legal framework leaves room for acceptance of informal payments and keeps this practice alive.