Child healthcare in Hungary

Abstract

We describe the strengths and challenges of the child healthcare system in Hungary. The number of children has been steadily decreasing since 1982. The number of live births per thousand population has decreased from 12.1 to 9.3 between 1990 and 2015. In 2015, the infant mortality rate was 4.2 deaths per 1000 live births, the lowest ever recorded in Hungary. In 2012, 96% of infants were ever breastfed, following the guidelines, and 65% were exclusively breastfed. Vaccine coverage is over 99%. Primary care paediatricians provide primary healthcare for children under the age of 18 years. There is a special pediatric and a special preterm new-born transport system. The network of Neonatal Intensive Care Units within Hungary was set up in 1975, with the participation of 10 Neonatal Intensive Care Units. In 2015, there were 206,507 inpatient hospital admissions for children aged 0–18 years to acute hospitals. Acute pediatrics is mainly provided in pediatric departments in general hospitals with inpatient and outpatient care. After finishing medical university, there is a 5-year period of postgraduate pediatric training in certified hospitals and university pediatric departments. Hungary’s healthcare system is on the brink of disaster. Low salaries and poor working conditions force physicians to either go abroad or work at a private institutions. Hungary will face a major shortage of paediatricians within ten years. The average age of paediatricians in Hungary is 59, 46% of whom are age over 60 years. Several efforts are being made to solve this complex problem.