Particulars which should be known
about the Hungarian Medical Association.

The Hungarian Medical Association is a public corporate of the medical society. Through its corporate systems it is acting as a public authority safeguarding its professional tasks and interests as specified by the pertaining Acts, and it is framing a health policy that lay down the conditions of curative activities.

1. The scope of its duties:
- professional and ethical control of medical activities,
- determination of the minimum requirements of the above controls and giving an expert opinion on them, respectively,
- participation in any negotiation influencing the financial and professional status of the physicians,
- asserting the authority of the Hungarian Medical Association,
- giving financial support and benefits to its needy members and their families,

2. The above duties are performed by:
- creating professional and ethical statutes,
- conducting ethical inquiries,
- contributing to and approving of the conditions of contracts between physicians and the National Health Insurance,
- participating in the accreditation of medical diplomas conferred by medical universities abroad or
- passing a judgement on applications to practice medical activities for a limited period of time without the accreditation of the foreign medical diploma.
- exercising the right to report on any health related codification or act that may directly influence the professional and financial status of the physicians or,
- on any decision taken by the state, the Health Insurance or the Municipal Councils in relation to the functioning and structure of the current medical practice and its developmental plans and trends.
- appointing physicians to and revoking them from higher posts (general practitioners, general practitioners in pediatrics, dentists, etc,)
- participating in medical training and postgraduate training of the specialists,
- determining the minimum number of physicians per discipline required.
- participating in the quality control of medical services and in the activities of various professional bodies and councils.
- recommending the lower limits of medical charges imposed on for medical services,
- registrating the active physicians and managing all, licence-related affairs
- making the various medical colleges work,
- based on the opinion of the medical colleges it specifies the professional criteria of postgraduate training mandatory for each member (standardised principles and programmes, regular controls),
- organising regular postgraduate trainings,
- collaborating with civil organizations in the field of health care,
- conducting a mutual agreement procedure, if needed, in contentious issues within the Association,
- testifying, if needed, the legitimate membership of this members, including the validity of their registration particulars.

The above duties and sphere of interest are not practised by the one and indivisible Hungarian Medical Association but by its local, county units and that of Budapest and by its various national forums. The state control of the Society is practised by the Minister of Health.

The structure of the Hungarian Medical Chamber

1. Local medical chambers.
Least membership: 50 persons
Board: president,
Secretary
Membership meeting.

2. County medical chambers. (19+1)
No real members. They are merely administrative (executive) bodies.
Board: members are delegated by the local medical chambers
President
Secretary

Committees:
a) mandatory: Supervising Committe
Ethical Committee
b) optional: …

3. National Medical Chamber, Otherwise "Hungarian Medical Association
National Board: President (1)
Vice presidents (3)
Secretary General (1)
Secretaries (4)

Bodies of the Hungarian Medical Association

1. National Conference of Delegates of Local Medical Chamber)for the election of the:
national president,
president and members of the National Ethical Committee
president and members of the National Supervising Committee

2. Body of Representatives:
Three persons per county (60)
They are delegated by the Local Medical Chambers.

3. Committees:

1.)National Committee on Ethics
2.)National College on Ethics
3.)Committee on Medical Profession
4.)Committee on Law
5.)Committee on Economics
6.)Committee on Public Relation
7.)Committee on Accreditation
8.)Committee on Protection
9.)Committee on International Affairs
10.)Committee on Registration
11.)Committee on Medical Charge
12.)Committee on Culture, Sport and Leisure

4. Faculties:

5. Groups within the Hungarian Medical Association:
(professional group, like that of the General Practitioners,
or other, like that of Hunters)

6. Foundation (Foundation for the Hungarian Medical Doctors)

Budget

A. Membership fees (280 Million HUF)
B. Governmental support (House of Parliament) to accomplish governmental projects.
C. Other incomes

Tasks:

I. Safeguarding of the Trade Union's interests.
II. Safeguarding of professional interests.
III. Safeguarding of ethical interests.
IV. Governmental tasks
1. Registration of medical licences
2. Issue of licences to practice

Rights of the members of the HMA:

1.) can engage into activities requiring medical degree, providing that all the other conditions specified by law are met;
2.) may request HMA's support in professional, ethical and legal issues;
3.) may request a conciliation procedure in disputes with members of a different medical association in relation to the practice of the medical profession;
4.) are entitled to use HMA's services.

The members shall be obliged to:

1.) comply with the professional regulations of the medical profession and the ethical rules;
2.) report all changes in their data to the unit registering the members.

Sanctions:

1.) On the basis of an indication from the membership registration unit, the chairman of the local association shall issue a written resolution, with an explanation, to delete a member from the registration of members, who, despite a written instruction, fails to pay his membership fee arrears exceeding the 3 months' amount including also the additional membership fee, within 30 days.
2.) The condition for readmittance of a physician who has been excluded, suspended or whose membership has been terminated, is the payment of the total membership fee arrears accumulated by the data of deletion from membership. In addition, if the former member has been deleted due to membership fee arrears, he shall also pay an additional membership fee of twice the monthly membership fee applicable at the time of the payment.