Hungary has an all-inclusive health system for every tax payer which is similar to the NHS in the UK and which was set up in 1945. While there is a waiting list for example for elective surgery, it is nothing compared with the UK and a lot is done privately. The private system doesn’t work through insurance schemes however as it does in the UK (like Bupa or PPP), but on a treat and then pay scheme. The private hospitals and dentist surgeries are equipped with state of the art modern technology and facilities, largely due to the influence of the German clients who have been visiting the country for over fifteen years to take advantage of the very competitive prices for their dental and surgery needs.
In Hungary all cosmetic surgeons must be qualified and experienced surgeons before they can specialise in cosmetic, which is much stricter than the UK. This is good news as it means that a cosmetic surgeon will know everything about being a surgeon and not just about his/her specialist field, meaning that the level at which they operate is exceptionally high and the clinics/hospitals have the latest state of the art equipment.
First they must study for a diploma at medical university which takes six years and after passing their final examination they take surgery training at a clinic or hospital for three to five years (depending on what kind of surgery they wish to specialise in). Afterwards, they take another exam before gaining their diploma qualifying them to be a full medical surgeon. But the training is not over yet - as they must undertake further training and another exam before achieving a diploma which allows them to practise cosmetic surgery. This takes one to two years - so in total a surgeon will have a minimum of 13 years training before becoming a cosmetic surgeon.
All doctors have to be registered and receive permission to practise from the government department, Orvosi Kamara, (the Chamber of Medicine) and having passed their cosmetic surgery exams they become members of the Hungarian Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons.
Surgeons and doctors are known simply as Doctor or Mr and doctors state their speciality. Hungarian dentists and surgeons’ qualifications are acknowledged in the UK, and in fact many do work internationally/in the UK. All clinics and hospitals have to be approved and registered with the government health department and all doctors have to also be registered, declaring their diplomas and qualifications to the same department, before they are allowed to practise at a particular institution. This also applies if the surgeon works at more than one institution then he/she has t obe registered at all places of practice.
DENTISTRY
In order to practise, surgeons and dentists must obtain a governmental certificate and must be named on the door of their surgery.
Dentists must be fully qualified, with affiliations and membership to international dental organisations. In order to maintain their license, practicing dentists must accrue enough points each year and they do so by attending training courses, seminars and lectures to keep them continually aware of new technologies and techniques.
Dentists train initially as a ‘general’ dentist and then go on to specialise (in a similar way that a surgeon might become a cosmetic surgeon), so they are either general dentists or specialists in a field of dentistry. For example, a general dentist can go for a short course and become an Implantologist but an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon has to train for at least an extra two to three years on top of five years at university which makes them better equipped to carry out implant and bone grafting surgery. This high level training means that dentists in Hungary offer a very superior service.
The lead dentist should have at least 13-15 years experience in their field. It is advisable to ask a clinic about the number of implants they have placed and what their success rate is - expect it to be around 97%. It is also reassuring to know that all surgeries in Hungary are equipped with the latest technology, replacing the out-dated equipment after the collapse of communism.
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