Dr Agnes Csikos, palliative care physician and founder of the Department of Hospice-Palliative Medicine in Pécs, has announced the signing of a Ministerial Decree confirming approval of the licensure program, which supersedes the previous 40-hour training requirement for physicians wishing to qualify for a hospice-palliative position.
The program will interface with (be built on) basic clinical specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, family medicine, paediatrics, or oncology, and will be offered through the four participating Hungarian medical schools in Pécs, Debrecen, Szeged, and Budapest.
The course includes both a theoretical and practical section, which will require candidates to do clinical rotations in inpatient and home hospice programs.
Participating physicians will receive training in communications skills as well as pain, symptom management, and bereavement. Although the program has yet to include a paediatric section, there will be a visit to a paediatric unit. Physicians who pass the final exam will receive a license to practice palliative medicine in Hungary.
According to Dr Csikos, this milestone is a joint effort of many dedicated professionals working in the field from the beginning of the Hungarian hospice movement. The program will be coordinated through the Department of Hospice-Palliative Medicine at the University of Pécs Medical School Institute of Family Medicine in close collaboration with the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Association and experts in the field within the country.
This story was first published in the February Newsletter of the International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care.
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