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Cover Page Region Special Activities Papers |
Ferenc Hajnal, Sándor Balogh*, Renáta Papp*, Gyula Füredi* University of Szeged, Department of Family Medicine, NIPHC* By law Hungary, i.e. the Republic of Hungary is an independent, democratic constitutional state with 4-yearly elected one-chambered parliament. The country is administered as 19 counties and the capital Budapest. The president of the Republic is elected by the Parliament. In fact, the country is governed by the government in which the health affairs are represented mostly by the Health Ministry, which is currently in charge with the social affairs, as well. In Hungary the health care is dominantly delivered as public service and practically the whole population is covered. The socalled Local Government Act, adopted in 1990, shifted the previous state ownership of the health care infrasructure, together with the responsibility to the local and municipal governments, for the management of health and social services. The frontline of the Hungarian health provision is the primary health care which has been developed during the whole twentieth century and now it is a widespread network of different services. So, it induced a nationwide welcome by the concerned professionals when the health government established, in 1998, the National Institute of Primary Health Care (NIPHC). This institute serves as baseline institution for the management, and scientific research in the field of primary health care, which are represented, among others, by the services in Hungary, as follows:
The National Institute of Primary Health Care Introduction According to its Mission Statement the main objectives of the NIPHC, as follows:
The NIPHC regional centres and the National Board of General Practice Freshman doctors, including their education, have crucial part as far as the reinforcement and human resource supply for the primary care. The Hungarian medical faculties have crucial part either the graduate or postgraduate education of any medicals. In addition, the medical faculties with their family medicine departments are regional centres of either the education or health provision, mostly in secondary and tertiary care. So, it is vital for the main leading stakeholders of the Hungarian primary health care, i.e. the NIPHC and the National Board of General Practice (NBGP to have close relationship with the family medicine departments at the medical faculties. So, the regional centers are organized practically around the family medicine departments Therefore, the abovementioned third executive partner in the Hungarian primary health care is NBGP which is a body with 23, mostly elected, members from the general medical practice and appears as supreme professional partner and council for the Health Ministry in professional issues. Public relations of the NIPHC The management of the health care workers and units could not work without a constant and live information current. So, the NIPHC makes nonstop efforts in order to keep the necessary facilities and information channels in hands. It publishes updated information on actual issues of (general) medicine by:
The NIPHC's communication strategy includes: - Continuous development and aintenance of website/homepage,
"The NIPHC umbrella" and the international affairs Upon its mission, authorization, infrastructure and other resources NIPHC makes efforts too, to initiate and support the partnership between the Hungarian general practice corporates, as follows:
NIPHC employs its resources to build up and maintain friendly and operative liasons with foreign partner organisations and outstanding persons of education, professional policy making and practice concerning primary health care with special regard to the changes and challenges of the upcoming European integration. Moreover, the NIPHC makes constant efforts to develop regional partnership with the neighbouring Central and Eastern European organisations of the GPs. Current activities of the NIPHC The Institute continously organizes, coordinate and supports several events concerning its mission and the needs of primary health care workers, as follows:
As far as the assassment and promotion of the health of primary care workers project is concerned, this contains several subprojects, as follows:
Current research projects of the NIPHC
In summary, the NIPHC is a government organisation which has nationwide network based on regional centers of health provision and education, closely works together with the health authority, and makes infrastructure for the General Practice Board. It also makes a resource centre for the different primary health workers, assists the work of the regional academic institutions, and undertakes part in several "vital" public health programs. In our days its role in Hungary is indispensable, among the continuing health care and academic reforms, public health projects and in the process of joining the new, healthier united Europe, European health provision and care. Hajnal Ferenc E-mail: hajnalf@model.szote.u-szeged.hu Cover Page Region Special Activities Papers Next |