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Palliative care in the National Cancer Control Program in Hungary

In September 2005 the government of Hungary announced the National Cancer Control Program (NCCP) as part of the National Development Plan. Quality of life improvement and social and professional collaboration for fighting cancer were indicated as main aims. A further aim is to ‘accomplish complex oncological approach and to form and operate an effective care system providing a balanced patient care. With this purpose it follows the guidelines and recommendations of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) program named ’National Cancer Control Programmes’’.

In order to develop the program which was prepared by the Ministry of Health, the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Association (HHPA) has offered to construct the chapter of hospice/palliative care and recommendations/aims since these were not present in the first plan of NCCP. Very useful relationships were formed between the Association and the Ministry’s Department of Health Policy during the years while constructing the Palliative Professional Guidelines (2002) and the Palliative Minimum Conditions (2004) and while organizing joint conferences (2001; 2005).

The following chapters were made by the HHPA:
1. As part of the new chapter on oncological care:
- Symptom control and care for terminal cancer patients
- Pain and symptom control
- Data of palliative care
- Elements of the development of the demanded structure

2. As part of the Action Plan:
" National establishment of hospice and rehabilitation institute for oncology patients" (Aims and Deadlines)

The fist version was submitted for social-professional debate in November 2005. The HHPA represented itself at debates within the Professional Colleges and via the member organizations it collected further additions and proposals.

The final National Cancer Control Program (76 pages) was introduced on the 3rd February 2006 in the National Institute of Oncology in the presence of the Prime Minister and the WHO’s representative (Cecilia Sepulveda).
Unfortunately a somewhat shorter material is included in the final NCCP about the PC than was in the first version.

As chapters of Progress report:
- Hospice (palliative) care: the concept of hospice care, its settings and data (Chapter 5).
- In "Personal requirements: education of those participating in cancer care" (Chapter 9): the one years' hospice nurse and coordinator training that was started in 2002 appears as one of the vocational trainings of accentuated support.

2. As part of the Action Plan:

OBJECTIVE 13
CREATING A COUNTRYWIDE HOSPICE NETWORK IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF CANCER PATIENTS

Tasks:

  1. To establish, by the year 2010, at least one hospice inpatient centre by region, operating as part of the Health insurance system. Deadline: ongoing from 30 June 2006 to 2010
  2. To achieve countrywide coverage of hospice care delivered within home care services, in 3 stages (in counties, towns and their surroundings, in the whole country)
    Deadline    :
     31 December 2007 (Stage one)
    31 December 2008 (Stage two)
    31 December 2011 (Stage three)
  3. To provide for the professional representation and presence in education and training of hospice and palliative care, and to integrate it into education and continuing education.
    Deadline: 31 December 2007
Dr. Katalin Hegedus PhD
President of the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Association
1089 Budapest, Orczy ut 6.
Tel./Fax: +36-1-215-0938
e-mail:
http://www.hospice.hu