[The situation of geriatric medicine in Hungary today]

There is no systematic geriatric supply service and active geriatric wards are very rarely found in Hungary. That is why these wards need to be established in every leading county hospital as a regional system. The reasons for this lack are that active geriatric wards do not exist in the financing agreements, and, on the other hand, there is no sufficient number of geriatric specialists to fulfil the minimum personal conditions of a geriatric ward. The hospitals do not operate geriatric wards in lack of specialists, hence management pathways cannot be built in the system, therefore, no colleagues choose this subspecialty. Undoubtedly, the educational system does not support the training of geriatricians and, as a consequence of European Union regulations, secondary geriatrician subspecialization is not supported any more. The situation is extremely disadvantageous, most of the hospitals do not realize the importance of geriatrics, hence they do not work on establishing a care pathway between active care (internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, neurology, etc.), active geriatrics and chronic care. There is no geriatric outpatient service, daytime hospital system, their existence and operation are contingent. Finally, no geriatric consultant system (mobile, county, territorial) has been established. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(23): 891-893.