Pilot general practitioner teams in North-East Hungary

Project completed

Health status in Hungary is clearly below EU average, especially among marginalized groups. In a pilot programme, newly set-up general practitioner teams will provide a broader scope and better quality of health services in disadvantaged Hungarian regions. Together with accompanying research, the results of this pilot programme will serve as basis for a country-wide introduction of this model.
 



  

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Hungary
Improving social security
Basic healthcare services
01.07.2012 - 31.05.2017
CHF  13’000’000

Note: the texts under all the headings, with the exception of 'Results achieved', describe the situation before the start of the project.

Background Health status in Hungary is clearly below EU average, especially in the North-East of the country. Children, the elderly and marginalized groups, including Roma, are particularly affected. While primary health care services have a strong curative focus, they pay little attention to marginalized populations, to prevention or to health promotion aspects. Moreover, data collection at the primary level is often patchy and appropriate software is not available which would help to analyse data necessary to manage health care efficiently.

Objectives

The goal is to improve the health status of children, elderly and of marginalized groups in selected micro regions in North Hungary and the Northern Great Plains. For this purpose, a community oriented primary health care model focusing on prevention and chronic disease management is developed and field tested in close cooperation with local governments, local Roma minority self-governments, local health and social care services. Furthermore, recommendations for national health policy definition are elaborated for a country-wide replication of the model.

Target groups
  • Involved medical institutes
  • Universities
  • Medical staff / social workers
  • Civil society (like NGOs, interest groups)
  • 50’000 inhabitants of the affected regions, especially marginalized groups.
Activities

In disadvantaged areas of North-East Hungary, pilot practice teams (family doctors teaming up with health coordinator, dietician, physiotherapist, mental hygienist, Roma health guards, related disciplines) are set-up, giving special attention to prevention activities (e.g. mother and child care). Team members receive further training in primary care and family medicine education, provided by medical universities. A new system of primary care data reporting and processing is developed and introduced, facilitating research by a newly created health cluster. Based on research and pilot results, a health policy and health financing impact study is prepared as basis for a country-wide introduction of the model.

Results

Achieved results:  

  • The health status of approximately 18'000 patients was assessed and healthcare professionals are offering additional services (health promotion programmes, rehabilitation etc) for 2'000 inhabitants per month in average.
  • Employment for 76 persons
  • Roma baby-mother clubs were launched and are functioning
  • Vocational training in assistant nursing and social work was organized for 18 health mediators
  • 67 Cooperation Agreements were signed by stakeholders (NGOs, schools etc) to serve as a basis for joint actions and health development projects.               


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Credit area Swiss Contribution to the enlarged EU
Project partners Contract partner
Foreign state institution
  • National State Institute North


Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    13’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    11’399’547
Project phases

Phase 1 01.07.2012 - 31.05.2017   (Completed)