The Bethesda Children’s Hospital has opened a new pediatric emergency unit, featuring 15 years of international expertise and state-of-the-art equipment, announced Director General György Velkey at a press conference in Budapest on Wednesday.
Velkey highlighted that their institution is one of the country’s leading pediatric healthcare centers, handling 200,000 cases annually.
“In recent years, the hospital has undergone significant development, with a substantial increase in the patient population, necessitating adjustments to emergency care to meet these demands,” he explained. He added that while setting up the department, they “built a system,” which involved not only infrastructure development and equipment procurement but also assembling a new team of staff.
He stated that the establishment of the department cost a total of 146 million forints, with the majority, 94 million forints, provided by the Bethesda Hospital Foundation. An additional 32 million forints came from central funding for facility maintenance, and the hospital supplemented this with another 20 million forints from its own resources. Velkey noted that the emergency department is expected to serve 15,000 patients annually.
He also emphasized that Bethesda offers a unique pain therapy service on a national level.
Velkey stressed that the department has been equipped with top-quality instruments, including the best available ultrasound machine and a full range of on-site laboratory tests.
The development aims to create faster, more accessible, efficient, and safer care for patients requiring urgent medical intervention, he stated, expressing gratitude to all who contributed to the project.
He also underlined that the hospital is committed to providing the highest quality, personalized care through a family-friendly approach and the use of modern medical technology.
Dr. Gergely Halász, Chief Physician and Head of the Pediatric Emergency Unit, stated that they prioritize the child in patient care. Thus, it was crucial to combine modern technology with family-centered care in the design of the department.
He explained that all examination and monitoring units are fully equipped with monitoring systems. A special shock treatment room, with the equipment of an intensive care unit, has been set up for critically ill patients.
Dr. Halász also mentioned that triage—conducted by highly trained nurses to prioritize patients based on the severity of their condition—significantly speeds up care for those requiring immediate intervention.
“The goal of triage, or the rapid classification system, is to identify patients requiring immediate, life-saving, critical interventions and begin high-quality care without any delay,” he explained.
Head Nurse Éva Hosek, who leads the team of specialized staff in the emergency department, reported that nearly 40 experienced professionals work on the department around the clock.
(MTI)
