Dr. Géza Abkarovics

The patient is always a partner – says Dr. Géza Abkarovics, TritonLife’s renowned obstetrician-gynecologist. During his career, he spent 14 years in Norway, during which time he gained special knowledge in the reconstruction of various gynecological prolapses (hernias) and the examination and treatment of urinary incontinence. In addition to all this, he is a recognized expert in female pelvic reconstruction. “To this day, I think that obstetrics and gynecology is the most beautiful profession with its difficulties and challenges,” says Dr. Géza Abkarovics, who also talks about his professional career.

— I grew up in a family of doctors, so this career was natural for me. Of course, when I was a child, I thought about becoming a firefighter or a soldier, but medicine appealed to me the most. I graduated from Semmelweis University in 1994. I passed my specialist examination in obstetrics and gynecology in 1999, and then in anesthesia and intensive care in 2006. To this day, I think that obstetrics and gynecology is the most beautiful profession with its difficulties and challenges. I have not regretted my decision to choose this field for a minute – says Dr. Géza Abkarovics about his life path, who spent 13 years at his first job, the obstetrics and gynecology department of Péterffy Sándor Street Hospital.

Foreign experiences

One of my best friends and I started applying for jobs abroad – for the sake of our professional development. We targeted Norway, where we ended up spending 14 years and from where we moved home in 2021. It all started with us sending our CVs and forgetting about it all for a while. Then a few months later I got a call from Norway asking if I wanted to go after all. My wife also accompanied me to the interview, and we decided to move there for a trial period of six months at first,” says the obstetrician-gynecologist, who later spent 5 years in the urogynecology department of Stord Hospital.

At his first job in Norway, he gained specialized knowledge in the reconstruction of various types of gynecological prolapses and the treatment and resolution of urinary incontinence.

What immediately struck me was that healthcare is much more patient- and doctor-oriented. The patient comes first, the doctor treating him or her comes second, and everyone – the nursing and administrative staff, as well as the financial staff – subordinates their own work to the success of this cooperation.

I also really liked the fact that there are very structured and elaborated, clear, clear, and short protocols within the profession, which greatly support the work of doctors. The protocols are updated monthly, so they are always up-to-date.

It was also an interesting experience for Dr. Géza Abkarovics that most of his colleagues came from other countries, so he could work in a completely multicultural environment. In addition, everyone had to learn Norwegian, although they had already established their language skills at home, as they had been going to a language teacher for almost a year before moving.

It was a good experience to experience that if they see that you treat patients kindly and correctly, they will very quickly accept you and be helpful in any way - emphasizes the doctor, who is of course also very proud of the bucket list experiences they have gained during their excursions, travels, and exploring the country.

Robotic surgery

After I liked and delved into the issue of treating incontinence, I applied for and won the position of head of the urogynecology department at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Bergen. Part of my job was to further train young doctors and novice specialists, recalls Dr. Géza Abkarovics, who subsequently signed a contract with Telemark Hospital near Oslo.

His main goal at his new job was to master the DaVinci robotic surgery technique. He headed the urogynecology department in the robotic surgery department, while obtaining the DaVinci robotic surgeon license. “The modernity of the procedures was extremely exciting,” points out Dr. Abkarovics, who mainly performed “mesh” surgeries, prolapse surgeries, and pelvic reconstruction surgeries with the help of robotic technology.

The patient is always a partner

For Dr. Géza Abkarovics, the greatest value he brought with him from his career in Norway is that the patient is always a partner, deserving maximum respect. – I believe that we are partners in the office and in the operating room, in no way inferior or superior. In addition, I also treat humility towards the profession as a priority. I hope that I can pass this on to others here at home – shares the obstetrician-gynecologist, who we also asked about their move home.

We took advantage of every opportunity to stay there, but the moment came when my wife had to decide whether to resign from her career as a criminal judge or continue, and then we would move home. We decided on the latter, as she also loves her professional vocation very much. We had complex questions, as our sons are 11 and 13 years old, and we wanted to keep their education in mind. We were lucky with the school in Budapest, as our sons were welcomed by understanding teachers, who are excellent students, and I am very proud of them – said Dr. Géza Abkarovics, who, although he sold his successful private practice in Norway, is still called back to the hospital from time to time to help, whether it be for appointments or surgeries.

It is also part of the story that in the end I never left Hungarian medicine either, we went home almost every month, and we also spent our holidays here with the family. At the 1st Sz. Clinic, I performed urogynecological appointments, treated more difficult cases, and performed “mesh” surgeries as a volunteer – says Dr. Géza Abkarovics, who is very happy that his old wish to join the TritonLife team has come true by moving home.

In civilian life

Although he misses the big trips they took in Scandinavia, they also try to spend a lot of time in nature at home – the gynecologist tells us about his recreation. – We vacation around Lake Balaton every year. We play tennis with my sons, and we also like playing family board games and watching movies. We also visit our grandparents whenever we have time.

Professional memberships of Dr. Géza Abkarovics
Member of the Norwegian Medical Chamber since 2006 (registry number: 009530800)
Member of the Swedish Medical Chamber since 2010
Member of the Norwegian Society for Diagnostic Ultrasound in Medicine
Member of the AAGL (Advancing Minimally Invasive Gynecology Worldwide
Member of the ICS (International Continence Society)
Member of the IUGA (International Urogynecological Association)
Member of the Hungarian Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Society
Member of the Hungarian OB/GYN Society since 1999 (registry number: 2275/1999)
Member of the Hungarian Menopause Society since 1999
Member of the Hungarian Ultrasound Society since 1997 (registry number: B/328)
Member of the Hungarian Medical Chamber since 1994 (registry number: VII/444)