Spatial patterns of the Hungarian Healthcare Industry Support Program in connection with Industry 4.0 technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic
Spatial patterns of the Hungarian Healthcare Industry Support Program in connection with Industry 4.0 technologies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Summary/Abstract: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic primarily and directly affected health care and its background sector, the health care industry, whose development has become a national economic priority since the 2010s. The epidemic also necessitated quick and effective adaptation and immediate reactions in Hungary. One of these was the introduction of the Healthcare Industry Support Program (HISP) in 2020 with the aim of promoting effective protection against epidemics. The main aim of this study is to reveal the major differences in the characteristics of the enterprises supported in the different periods of the HISP with particular regard to their Industry 4.0 technologies and spatial pattern in connection with the Hungarian industry. Based on different data sources and empirical research (questionnaire survey), the authors found that there are significant differences between the subsidized enterprises in the two main support periods. Although technology-based developments came to the fore in the age of the pandemic, this has not resulted in the widespread spread of Industry 4.0 technologies in the Hungarian health care industry, whose spatial pattern was closely connected to the Hungarian industry.

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