A position paper on the ethical aspects of doctors’ social media use and public online health communication has been completed and will be published this week, the health minister announced on his Facebook page.
“I believe that the quality of public discourse can also be shaped through communication in the online space and through ethical conduct related to healthcare advertising,” Zsolt Hegedűs wrote in his post.
At the same time, he stressed that principles alone are not enough. A modern overhaul of medical ethics procedures is also necessary. Without transparency and a system of sanctions established in advance on the basis of objective criteria, the principles set out on paper will not become living practice. Academic literature also shows that trust in any system is built on consistent, transparent and honest communication.
He added that progress is being made step by step. While work continues on the separation process and the establishment of a new, independent Ministry of Health — which has proven more complex and time-consuming than initially expected because of legal and administrative procedures — the broader reform effort is continuing simultaneously.
The minister highlighted that work is progressing in parallel on developing and restructuring the pay scale for healthcare workers, launching the Semmelweis Order, reforming healthcare and chamber legislation, establishing new background institutions, reviewing the work of hospital directors, finding professional and financial solutions to reduce waiting lists, strengthening emergency and psychiatric care, renewing primary care services, resolving the situation of children stranded in hospitals, investigating and addressing the health implications of the asbestos issue, securing European Union funding, and rebuilding international and European professional relations.
He pointed out that urgent efforts are also underway to address operational challenges stemming from inherited shortcomings in human resources, organisation and financing, issues whose resolution is essential to further strengthening patient safety.
Work is also being carried out on the nationwide introduction of a patient satisfaction and feedback system, the creation of value-based financing, the assessment and improvement of hospital infrastructure, and expanding access to healthy food, the minister wrote on his social media page.
“I know that no change is yet visible at patients’ bedsides. But this is not a 100-metre sprint; it is a marathon. We have an enormous amount of work ahead of us. Yet I believe that in a freer environment, where professionalism, honesty and ethical conduct are the guiding principles, we can move mountains together for the health of the Hungarian people and for better healthcare,” the minister wrote.
Hegedűs later thanked people on his Facebook page for their support, encouragement, cooperation and patience until the ministry’s work produces tangible improvements in patient care. “This is what drives us,” he added.
In a comment posted beneath the entry, Zsolt Hegedűs stated that the ethical guidelines will also apply to sector leaders, including the minister himself.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.
