The air conditioning system at Veszprém’s Csolnoky Ferenc Hospital broke down despite having been put into operation only on 11 May. Maintenance and restart require components from South Korea.
Air conditioning system down
According to a recent post by Hungary’s new Health Minister, Dr Zsolt Hegedűs, the system began operating on 11 May but soon showed signs of instability before shutting down as an unexpected heatwave reached Hungary this week. Today the maximums may reach even 32 Celsius degrees.
Hegedűs said that emergency measures had been introduced and that the hospital is expecting components for repairs from South Korea. However, the work cannot be completed before 5 June. In the meantime, the institution plans to install a rented chiller unit, along with a mobile generator, by the weekend. Thankfully, the outage affects only the central operating theatres and the cytology laboratory; air conditioning is still functioning in all other areas of the institution.
Hegedűs added that such breakdowns are not unique within the Hungarian healthcare system, attributing the main cause to the Orbán government’s negligence in carrying out necessary developments. He noted that the average age of cooling units in Hungarian hospitals is 15 years, with some reaching up to 40 years. He also stated that only 48% of critical infrastructure essential for patient care has adequate cooling.
He emphasised that the Hungarian government is committed to developing the system and aims to address not only short-term issues but also to find long-term solutions. The estimated cost of the short-term programme exceeds HUF 3.5 billion.
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Health-care minister to prepare disclosure of hospital infection data, strengthen patient rights system
The health-care minister will prepare measures necessary for the public disclosure of hospital infection data and to strengthen the patient rights system by 30 June, according to government decisions published late on Tuesday.
The deadline for publishing the first set of validated and professionally interpreted data on hospital infections is 30 September.
According to another resolution published late on Tuesday, the minister must prepare a proposal by June 30 on the operating principles, safeguards and development priorities for the institutional framework designed to protect patients’ rights.
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Featured image: depositphotos.com
