Where can I get an HIV test in Budapest?

If you need to get an HIV test, they tell you to go to Maria utca. This is a hospital branch for dermatological problems and STD, located across the street from the Museum of Applied Arts on Ulloi ut. I needed to get the test as a requirement for a Russian multiple entry visa. Wanting to beat the crowd, at 8 AM I was the 4th person in line. Still, I had to wait about an hour and half until a medical assistant (!) spared 5 minutes of her precious time and took a blood sample from me.

"Is this a new needle?" I asked. She immediately got offended and said, "Didn't you see opening a new one?" I did not but I did not want to be obnoxious and said jokingly, "Well, I thought it was worth asking. After all, this is the place with the highest risk of me getting AIDS."

"Rubbish," said the trained professional. "AIDS is a sexually transmitted virus, you cannot get it here." I looked a bit surprised, so she added, "You could get it if I gave you blood transfusion, but I am taking a blood sample from you, so you are safe."

I don't mind people being ignorant, as long it does not jeopardize my life. In this case the problem was that the nurse was the person who is in charge of taking blood samples for the HIV test. Of course, she uses a clean needle each time a new patient comes in. But she does this really just to make us feel safe. Deep down in her heart she believes that without a blood transfusion a needle cannot transmit the virus. So if suddenly a clean needle was not available, she would not hesitate to recycle one because she would be confident in her knowledge.