The technical handover process of the new dental building was completed last October, after which the commissioning procedure began. The building is standing in its glory; the park and the parking lot have also been completed. The ordering of building accessories and mobile furniture - tables, chairs, cabinets, filing cabinets - has started, the purchase is ongoing. The tender for the procurement of dental equipment also took place during the autumn, and the first piece of equipment will arrive by the end of February. The building is scheduled to be officially handed over in early March.
Dr. Ákos Nagy, associate professor, and head of the Clinical Center Department of Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, said that thanks to the university's leadership, despite the price increase and slow procurement, the new dental building could be built as planned. The purchase of furniture and equipment was carried out in highly coordinated cooperation, with great support from the Medical School. He added that it is a marvel for both co-workers and outsiders, and they are looking forward to the handover. The official occupancy permit is currently underway, followed by obtaining health care permits in the spring. (Previous news about this can be found here.)
According to the head of the department, the move in March is not possible because teaching and patient care are constant. The least busy period is the summer because there are no paediatric dental screenings, and only the first-, third- and fourth-year students have to complete summer practice. They will be able to solve this by purchasing the new treatment units - half of the 61 treatment units - until May, so they can start at half capacity and move some of the departments at the end of the semester, in the first days of the exam period. The equipment will then be dismantled in the areas they leave behind. The hand tools will be packed up and placed in another new, empty part where another contingent can move.
According to Dr. Ákos Nagy, the relocation will be implemented in three phases while continuously providing all services at both sites. Of course, patients will be informed when and where they can receive care.
"Everything is on schedule, procurements are smooth, although there are delays in the manufacturing processes of dental equipment. The dental treatment units are controlled with a chip; it took a lot of follow-ups for the manufacturer to fulfil the university's order on time. Now it looks like the first such equipment will arrive at the department in February," said the head of the department. He also stressed that the move and the start of the 2022/23 academic year also depend heavily on the MediSkillsLab's construction work because the students will continue their practices there. A skill lab will be built for them at the Szigeti Street building of the UPMS, suitable for them to learn the tradecrafts on plastic teeth and phantom exercises before performing dental procedures on a living person. There will also be two rooms in the new MediSkillsLab, one solely for dental practice and the other for shared use. The difficulty in this case, too, is that the companies can only produce the ordered instruments with a very long deadline.
For the time being, dental, oral and maxillofacial surgery will remain at the old site, Dischka Győző Street, but they will also be left with tools, machines, and dental chairs that are new or no older than five years. They are confident that soon this service of the Clinical Center can also be placed in a worthy environment.
The head of the department said they are preparing for the handover in March with a ceremony worthy of the dentistry program's development. The beginning of dentistry education can be traced back to the 1930s, so it will soon be a hundred years, thanks to dr. Pál Oravecz who had been appointed full professor at that time. They have been moving forward unabated ever since, and the construction of the new dental building can be seen as a milestone in this process.
PhoTo:
Lajos Kalmár