{"id":24939,"date":"2021-03-18T16:23:39","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T15:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=24939"},"modified":"2021-03-18T16:34:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T15:34:09","slug":"tasks-of-the-financial-economic-field-during-the-coronavirus-epidemic-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2021\/03\/tasks-of-the-financial-economic-field-during-the-coronavirus-epidemic-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasks of the financial-economic field during the coronavirus epidemic, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

The coronavirus epidemic affects not only the work of the university\u2019s patient care units, but also the financial and economic directorates, as they create the conditions for the institution\u2019s <\/span>departments<\/span> and educational units to run smoothly even during a pandemic, <\/span>so that <\/span>Semmelweis University <\/span>is<\/span> able to respond to a rapidly changing, emergency situation. <\/span>Szilvia N\u00e1ndori, Directorate <\/span>of Healthcare Networking Management<\/span>; Beatrix <\/span>Sereg<\/span>, <\/span>Directorate of <\/span>Central Economic Network<\/span>ing <\/span>Management; L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Nagy, <\/span>Directorate of <\/span>Education<\/span>al <\/span>Network<\/span>ing<\/span> Management; <\/span>D<\/span>r. D\u00e9nes Farkas, Directorate <\/span>of Procurement<\/span>; and Gergely Kiss, Director<\/span>ate <\/span>of Controlling, shared with us the main challenges and experiences of the past year.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe <\/span>have <\/span>bec<\/span>o<\/span>me more sensitive to<\/span>wards<\/span> each<\/span> other\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n
Szilvia N\u00e1ndori, Director, Directorate of Healthcare Networking Management<\/h5>\n

\"\"\u201cDue to the appearance of the coronavirus, a great collaboration was needed that affected the entire university, during which the cooperation between the individual fields became even more important\u201d, Szilvia N\u00e1ndori said.<\/p>\n

As the Director of the <\/span>Directorate of <\/span>Health<\/span>care<\/span> Network<\/span>ing<\/span> Management has pointed out, they have <\/span>been <\/span>play<\/span>ing<\/span> their part in the fight against the epidemic mainly by providing protective equipment. <\/span>The <\/span>directorate<\/span> collects<\/span> needs and initiates the procurement process, acting as a kind of liaison between each block, <\/span>department<\/span> and the Directorate <\/span>of Procurement<\/span>. In addition to the tasks serving the front line, Szilvia N\u00e1ndori also emphasized that in order to provide the information necessary for the emergency management of the country, the obligation to provide immediate data has multiplied in addition to the already increased tasks. <\/span>Since the beginning of the outbreak of the epidemic, they must report every day about the stock of protective equipment available at each unit and the data about their daily use to the health management bodies and the maintainer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn cooperation with the Directorate of Controlling, a well-functioning, structured online interface helps our work\u201d, she explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The effects of the pandemic could already be felt by the staff of <\/span>the directorate<\/span> when the coronavirus appeared in Hungary in March, as a general shortage of stocks and a sharp market situation emerged almost immediately in terms of protective equipment. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In addition to the increased workload, Szilvia N\u00e1ndori <\/span>considered the fact<\/span> that they had to include inventory management tasks in their scope of activities <\/span>as the biggest difficulty<\/span>. They also had to set up a system of records in which the costs <\/span>related to<\/span> COVID <\/span>care <\/span>are collected separately from <\/span>the <\/span>general operating expenditure. <\/span>A<\/span>ll this is particularly complicated, because in the <\/span>departments<\/span> the<\/span>se<\/span> two have run in parallel or continue to do so <\/span>ever since<\/span>. The director added that they had to adapt very quickly, as they had to respond not only to the ever-changing legislation on procurement, but also to the market situation and ever-changing needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Szilvia N\u00e1ndori, one of the biggest benefits of the unusual situation is that while in the past everyone tried to perform well, focusing primarily on their own territory, during the epidemic they could experience that only cooperation can be the way to achieve the goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe got to know each other a little better, and also what difficulties and problems other areas may have. That is why we have become more sensitive towards each other\u201d, she pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Effective cooperation must be strengthened<\/span><\/h3>\n
Beatrix Sereg, Director, Directorate of Central Economic Networking Management<\/span><\/h5>\n

\"\"The Directorate of Central Economic Networking Management was established by a decision of the Senate in January last year. In March, when the emergency situation was declared due to the coronavirus, staff members were still being recruited and they were just moving into the new office, so they had to respond extremely cautiously and flexibly to the challenges caused by the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the <\/span>current <\/span>epidemic <\/span>situation<\/span>, the <\/span>Directorate of <\/span>Central Economic Network<\/span>ing<\/span> Management performs, among other basic tasks, the financial, economic and accounting tasks related to the procurement initiated by the government on behalf of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Since the second wave <\/span>of the epidemic,<\/span> the purchased equipment and tests have arrived at the warehouse of Semmelweis University on K\u0151b\u00e1nyai \u00fat, and in accordance with the decision of the Operational Staff, the<\/span>se<\/span> are handed over from here to the university’s organizational units, the National Ambulance Service and <\/span>other <\/span>medical universities <\/span>of Hungary<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

According to the director, the past period has been very instructive, with a wealth of experience and new knowledge gained and to be gained by those involved in defense to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cClose cooperation is essential between both internal and external partners\u201d, <\/span>highlighted Beatrix Sereg.<\/span><\/p>\n

She especially emphasized the joint work with the staff of the Directorate <\/span>of Procurement,<\/span> the Directorate <\/span>of Finance,<\/span> the university pharmacies and the Central Warehouse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe university\u2019s digit<\/span>al<\/span>i<\/span>s<\/span>ation efforts have <\/span>even more <\/span>come to the fore<\/span>front\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n
L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Nagy, Director, Directorate of Educational Networking Management<\/h5>\n
\"\"
The photo was taken earlier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Directorate of Educational Networking Management works primarily with faculty economic directorates and educational block directorates to provide educational background. According to L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Nagy, t<\/span>he epidemic caused by the coronavirus also brought significant changes last spring in the fields of higher education, public education and vocational training.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, it was a serious task to arrange <\/span>the necessary requirements for the organizational units <\/span>provi<\/span>ding<\/span> practical training <\/span>to be prepared to meet epidemiological standards, to have regular disinfections, to measure the temperature of <\/span>those who enter the buildings<\/span>, and to have all protective equipment available\u201d, <\/span>highlighted the director.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also a big challenge, especially for the staff of the co-directorates taking care of procurement, to provide the background and tools for distance learning during the first wave, to get microphones, webcams, laptops, other devices or just Zoom licenses, to create operating conditions, to allocate rights. <\/span>There was an extremely short amount of time available for all this\u201d, L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Nagy recalled.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n

According to the director,<\/span> the university staff quickly adapted to the <\/span>unusual<\/span> situation, <\/span>and<\/span> it was also due to this that the education could continue uninterrupted in the so-called hybrid form.<\/span> In his opinion, the epidemic situation has brought many changes in work that will be worth maintaining even after the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI find online meetings more effective than traditional meetings: not only can you work in a more focused way, but you can also save a lot of travel time. <\/span>In addition, I believe that the measures introduced due to the emergency <\/span>situation <\/span>have also resulted in a change of attitude: the university’s digitalisation efforts have become even more important\u201d, <\/span>the director recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also highlighted as a positive outcome that he and his colleagues could always count on each other in this unusual situation, even when performing their increased amount of tasks. It was a memorable case for him to co-operate when the university logo textile masks arrived at the Directorate-General of Economic Management: the nearly 9,000 masks were sorted and grouped by staff members and senior colleagues in the secretariat to ensure that all departments had access to the right amount of protective equipment as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Special purchasing needs in an unusual situation<\/span><\/h3>\n
Dr. D\u00e9nes Farkas, Director, Directorate of Procurement<\/h5>\n

\"\"\u201cAfter its appearance in Hungary, the coronavirus epidemic had an impact on the Directorate <\/span>of Procurement<\/span> almost immediately. Within days <\/span>after<\/span> the announcement of the emergency <\/span>situation<\/span> in March, we had to meet special needs\u201d, <\/span>recalled Dr. D\u00e9nes Farkas, director.<\/span><\/p>\n

They had a short deadline to acquire equipment that was not or less typical before: special protective equipment and medical equipment, or even ventilators. By default, public procurement is an open, publicity process, which is a time-consuming process, but due to the epidemic, the university and its departments needed disinfectants or protective equipment in a short time, just like other domestic health care institutions or all institutions worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislator recognized this, and at the end of March, a government decree was issued allowing the use of so-called exempted procurement procedures\u201d, emphasized Dr. D\u00e9nes Farkas.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name of the procedure suggests that domestic healthcare institutions must submit an application for an exemption. This was done by the Directorate of Procurement at the university. If the application is approved by the competent ministry and subsequently by the Operational Staff, the procurement procedure can be carried out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have filed nearly 100 exemption requests since March and are still filing\u201d, the director pointed out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Since the onset of the epidemic, the Directorate of Procurement has sought to meet the needs of the Clinical Center and the various departments and other organizational units of the university through such exemption procurement procedures in addition to public procurement, which is its main profile.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

According to Dr. D\u00e9nes Farkas, the greatest difficulty was caused by the fact that this type of procedure was under-regulated in the initial period of the epidemic situation. On the other hand, with the outbreak of the pandemic, demands for the same devices appeared almost everywhere in the world at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt mainly happened during the first wave, worldwide, that companies, that is to say potential bidders, were in an unequal bargaining position with the contracting entity, that is to say against healthcare institutions\u201d, the director explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. D\u00e9nes Farkas considered the procurement related to the H-UNCOVER national representative coronavirus screening as one of the most memorable events. The procurement of all tools and equipment related to the project, which was attended by the four Hungarian medical training universities and led by Semmelweis University, was arranged by the Directorate of Procurement. He highlighted that new, cross-professional dimensions of collegiality had emerged within the university in the state of emergency, which was perhaps the only positive outcome of the epidemic in his view.<\/span><\/p>\n

“An unprecedented cooperation has developed”<\/span><\/h3>\n
Gergely Kiss, Director, Directorate of Controlling<\/h5>\n

\u201cWhen the outbreak <\/span>of the epidemic happened <\/span>last spring, the Directorate <\/span>of <\/span>Controlling was working on budget planning. <\/span>C<\/span>oronavirus had thoroughly <\/span>turned our<\/span> work <\/span>upside down<\/span>, as <\/span>we<\/span> also had to <\/span>take care of<\/span> significant changes <\/span>related <\/span>to funding. <\/span>Based on the decision of the university management, we included force majeure frameworks in the 2020 management budget, which could serve to cover the additional costs related to the epidemic situation\u201d, explained <\/span>Gergely Kiss, <\/span>d<\/span>irector.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe main task of our unit is to compile the management budget and strategic decision-making materials, so it was a new challenge for us to fulfill the ad hoc data related to the pandemic on a daily basis\u201d, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the costs associated with the coronavirus had to be accounted for and reported separately, a completely separate area had to be created in the management system for this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough in the dynamically changing external environment, it was more difficult than before to meet the <\/span>directorate\u2019s <\/span>goal of delivering the right information at the right time, to the right place, <\/span>t<\/span>hanks to the dedicated work of my staff, the close cooperation with the network<\/span>ing<\/span> management directorates and the Directorate <\/span>of IT<\/span>, I feel that we are succeeding in overcoming the obstacles\u201d, <\/span>the director highlighted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe learned a lot from the first wave, which is why we were much more experienced by the autumn epidemic period, and our work was easier in terms of records and framework management\u201d, <\/span>pointed out Gergely Kiss.<\/span><\/p>\n

He considers the cooperation between the central organizational units as the biggest lesson of the recent period.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn unprecedented collaboration developed, everyone helped the other as much as they could. <\/span>M<\/span>any <\/span>people <\/span>have seen online discussions, the digit<\/span>alis<\/span>ation of <\/span>economic<\/span> processes as a forced solution, but today it can all be interpreted as a saving of resources. Summarizing the experience<\/span>s<\/span>, the epidemic <\/span>does<\/span> not only <\/span>deprive us of things,<\/span> but also <\/span>provides new solutions\u201d, Gergely Kiss said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00c1d\u00e1m Szab\u00f3
\nPhoto: Attila Kov\u00e1cs \u2013 Semmelweis University, Tam\u00e1s Moln\u00e1r \u2013 Motomfoto
\nTranslation: Katalin Ill\u00e9s-Romh\u00e1nyi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shared experiences of the three networking management directorates, the Directorate of Procurement and the Directorate of Controlling<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101126,"featured_media":24938,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[127,196,157],"class_list":["post-24939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-patient-care","tag-covid-19"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24939"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24949,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24939\/revisions\/24949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}