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Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in Hungary for many years, but the good news is that therapeutic options are constantly expanding. It is also encouraging that the specialty of cardiology is particularly popular among students, meaning there are enough doctors in this field, Mandiner reports.
In Hungary, “Our Heart Day” was held this year on September 24, to promote family health. This large-scale family health promotion event featured cardiology exhibitors, along with interactive and fun activities. The events serve to convey the message: If we act early, we can add years to our lives.
Cardiovascular disease claims more than 20 million lives each year, and the numbers continue to rise.
In Hungary, cardiovascular diseases are also the most common cause of death: 49% of deaths are due to these diseases, as shown in the Central Statistical Office data for 2019, corresponding to almost 64,000 deaths.
As the news portal writes, Béla Merkely, the rector of Semmelweis University and director of the Cardiovascular Clinic in Városmajor, 12th district in Budapest, also spoke at the event. He emphasized that in Hungary, one in 200 newborns is born with hereditary heart disease.
At the university, we study all known genes, 174 in total, that can be responsible for hereditary heart disease. If we find the one gene that causes the disease, we will do a family screening just for that one gene,”
he said.
Dr. Béla Merkely, physician, cardiologist, professor, rector of Semmelweis University, director of the clinic. Photo: Facebook/Dr. Merkely Béla
Dr. Merkely also revealed that Semmelweis University had a three to four times higher enrollment of students this year.
This year, about 1,500 Hungarian and foreign medical students are starting their studies at Semmelweis University.
“Although I can speak mainly about Semmelweis University, I think the vision is positive compared to international standards.
There is no shortage of doctors in the whole of Hungary, except for a few specialties. Emigration is low, only five percent of our graduates go abroad,”
he said.
Semmelweis University, Photo: Facebook/Semmelweis University.
While he agreed that there are differences between regions, as employment rates can vary in some areas and there is a lack of balance between disciplines, this is simply because specialists prefer to work in large and more developed centers, so it is easier to provide care in those locations.
Dr. Merkely stressed, however, that even though there are certainly not enough physicians in some specialties, the overall number is sufficient. He also said that it should not be forgotten that optimal conditions cannot be created artificially.
What can be done is a high financial and moral reward for shortage professions,”
he said.
Here it is worth highlighting the shortage of nurses: Semmelweis University has a ten percent shortage in this field, and the most needed positions are bedside and intensive care nurses. For this reason, the Faculty of Health Sciences is introducing training courses that focus on the shortage professions, the university’s rector explained. “In addition, university leadership is continuously taking steps to retain our professional staff (i.e., nurses, surgical assistants, etc.) such as the career model for professional staff or the 15 percent salary increase for critical care staff this fall,” he concluded.
Via mandiner.hu, index.hu; Featured image: Facebook/Semmelweis University