During the 246th Graduation Ceremony of the Faculty of Medicine the degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred upon 320 Hungarian and 157 international medical students by Dr. Ferenc Bánhidy, Vice-Rector for General Affairs, and Dr. László Hunyady, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. The ceremony was held at Papp László Budapest Sportaréna. In his speech addressed to the freshly graduated Doctors of Medicine Dr. Ferenc Bánhidy said that they should always remain loyal to the oath that they have taken in order to care for and heal patients, to accomplish all of their responsibilities, to do their professional duty with the utmost diligence, to maintain their theoretical and practical knowledge at a high level and to be such thoughtful citizens of our country who can make sacrifices.

After the conferment Dr. Máté Jancsó addressed the audience on behalf of the students graduating in the Hungarian language programme.

“During our medical studies we have learnt how to work in a team and to concentrate on our own goals in the meantime. According to many people the most difficult part is still ahead of us. We have many reasons to be excited but there is no need to be afraid. The six years spent at the university have prepared us to be successful in solving unexpected situations by always considering the patients’ interests instead of waiting for the ready-made solutions.”, emphasized Dr. Jancsó.

On behalf of the students graduating in the German language programme Dr. Vanessa Maldera addressed the audience in both German and Hungarian. On behalf of the students graduating in the English language programme Dr. Alexander Trenk and Dr. Suhali Kundu held a speech.

“Semmelweis University provides its students with a medical training based on scientific grounds that is also accredited internationally. Among the almost 20 000 higher education institutions Semmelweis University is one of the best known in the ranking. Semmelweis University was also listed among the best 600 universities worldwide as the only Hungarian university in the latest ranking prepared by The Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Our university was also listed among the first 600 universities in the latest ranking of University Ranking by Academic Performance. Within its own scientific area Semmelweis University is ranked at the place 151-200- in the field of medical training by QS World University Rankings. It is also an indicator of success that there are several international medical students studying at Semmelweis University. 48 % of the 4169 medical students studying at the Faculty of Medicine participate in the English- or German language programmes. Besides knowledge, students receive the tradition of almost two and a half centuries as a parting gift, of which every student will be a successor.”, said Dean Hunyady in his speech.

Commemorating Ignác Semmelweis, Dean Hunyady pointed out the fact that medical training does not finish by earning the degree. One of the most important responsibilities of the university is to prepare for lifelong learning. According to Dean Hunyady one should not stop, not even for a second, because it is not possible to meet the requirements of the growing challenges in patient care without modern updated knowledge. He emphasized that besides high level theoretical and practical knowledge another important characteristic feature of a doctor is empathy. The roots of medical profession are the positive and caring attitude towards people.

“You are all starting a new journey, and if you work hard and believe in yourselves, it will bring you a lot of joy. Your purposes will then come true about which you are now dreaming as freshly graduated Doctors of Medicine. Finally, please allow me to quote the following lines from one of the songs of Deniz to you: “Never give up your dreams, do not let failure break your wings.””, said Dean Hunyady to the freshly graduated Doctors of Medicine.

Tímea Kele
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
Translation: Katalin Romhányi