Domestic healthcare system expanded with world-class day surgery department

With the support of the Human Resources Development Operational Program, 19 locations of 17 inpatient care institutions were expanded with a day surgery department. This development comes with more efficient patient care organization and modern equipment. The investment, realized with European Union funding, marks a significant step forward in the application of future-defining healthcare services.

There is a growing demand in patient care for individuals to access healthcare services using the modern tools and techniques of medical science and to return to the workforce as soon as possible. Thanks to the rapid technological advancements in minimally invasive procedures and modern surgical conditions, patients can benefit from day surgeries, resulting in shorter hospital stays, fewer complications during treatment, and quicker recovery. Economically, this also leads to the release of hospital beds in inpatient care.

The former National Healthcare Service Center – now succeeded by the National Directorate General for Hospitals – carried out the project titled “Replacement of Active Inpatient Care with the Development of Day Surgery Services” to address this need. As part of this project, 17 inpatient care institutions established independent day surgery departments at 19 locations during the 2014-2020 development period.

This project also produced important documents, including the financing model for day surgery services and guidelines for patient care organization and professional management of day surgery services, which may shape the processes of day surgery in the future. Additionally, training sessions were conducted to prepare and develop healthcare personnel for day surgery, with a total of 202 participants.

A textbook titled “Current Issues in Day Surgery” was also created to help doctors and healthcare professionals understand the material covered in the training sessions. Furthermore, a system plan was developed for information gathering, analyzing, evaluating, and a case management system was established for monitoring day surgery services. Additionally, 15,000 medical devices and equipment were procured as part of equipment development.

Thanks to these developments, patients undergoing day surgery receive the same level of care, diligence, and medical quality as if they were admitted to the hospital for multiple days, but with significantly more modern patient care organization and equipment. This marks an important advancement for the Hungarian healthcare system towards the future-defining role of day surgery services.

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