A conference detailing the plans of a joint Swiss-Hungarian basic healthcare model and its first results was held on Wednesday in the central Hungarian town of Jászapáti.
Minister of State for Health Miklós Szócska said at the press conference following the meeting that the programme will lead to a renewal of Hungary’s basic medical care and prevention systems, making public healthcare available to a much larger segment of the population.
He said the pilot project will comprise the reorganisation of general practitioner work in four disadvantaged sub-regions, consisting of 16 localities with a population of 38,000 adults and 10,000 children. The medical practices included in the model – currently staffed by doctors, nurses and health visitors – will be enhanced by other specialists such as dieticians, physiotherapists and health psychologists.
New services will include preventive counselling, physiotherapy and improving community health. The programme also includes an evaluation of the health of the regions’ adult population, 3,000 of which have already been screened.
Mr. Szócska said the programme also targets a better allocation of resources, which will result in additional financing for 80 existing specialists and the creation of 76 new jobs.
Max Schellmann, head of the Swiss Contribution Program Office, said that the Swiss federal government decided to support the initiative because it concentrates on health maintenance and prevention and at the same time attempts to keep healthcare costs in check.
The programme has a total budget of 3.68 billion forints (EUR 11.8 million), 85 percent of which is covered by the Swiss budget and the remaining 15 percent by the Hungarian state.
(Ministry of Human Resources)
