Health Systems in Transition - Hungary - World Health Organization ...

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Health systems in transition Hungary
joined the EU in 2004 (Eke, Girasek & Szócska, 2011). Altogether 43.6% of
applicants between 1 May 2004 and 31 December 2009 held a general medical
degree only and 56.4% were specialists. Salary levels (see sections 3.7.2 and
4.2.1) were the main push factor for mobility (Eke, Girasek & Szócska, 2011).
In terms of inflow, a total of 639 foreign physicians, 1585 foreign nurses
and 82 foreign dentists registered with the OHAAP between 2004 and 2008
to practise in Hungary. The majority of these individuals were members of
Hungarian minorities from neighbouring countries (Eke, Girasek & Szócska,
2011).
In short, there has been a net inflow of nurses and a net outflow of physicians
and dentists since 2004. It is important to note that whereas the outflow appears
to be increasing substantially, the inflow is diminishing. For example, the
number of foreign nurses who registered to practise in Hungary in 2008 was
only 45% of the number in 2005 (Eke, Girasek & Szócska, 2011).
4.2.3 Training of health care personnel
Health care professionals can be trained at the secondary, post-secondary and
higher education levels, supervised by the State Secretariat for Education,
and by means of professional training supervised by the State Secretariat for
Healthcare. Physicians and pharmacists are trained at four universities, into
which the faculties of the previously five medical universities have been
integrated (Medinfo, 2000). Undergraduate education takes six years for
physicians, five years for dentists, and four and a half years for pharmacists. In
addition, universities can offer postgraduate and continuing education courses.
Postgraduate professional training of medical doctors is carried out under the
so-called central trainee system, which is a centrally determined residency
programme supervised and financed by the Ministry of National Resources.
Non-medical health professionals, such as nurses and assistants, are
trained at several levels. Practising nurses used to be trained for four years at
secondary-level vocational schools, but nurse training has been harmonized
with EU requirements and elevated to the post-secondary level, where a threeyear
training course leads to a diploma in nursing. This basic nursing education
can be followed by clinical specialization courses in the form of on-the-job
training in various nursing specialties, such as oncology. Nine colleges of
nursing offer a four-year baccalaureate diploma in nursing, and graduates can
continue in postgraduate programmes (Ministry of Health, Social and Family
Affairs, 2002). There are qualified health workers who enter directly into higher
education courses, including highly qualified nurses with diplomas, MCH