(Vienna, 14 May 2024) For 50 years, the Mother-Child Health Pass, now known as the Parent-Child Health Pass, has accompanied families from the time of medically confirmed pregnancy until the child is five years old. On the occasion of an enquete on the topic in Vienna, the Austrian Medical Association honoured personalities who have contributed significantly to the success of this preventive tool. Among them were Dagmar Bancher-Todesca and Arnold Pollak from MedUni Vienna.
The fact that all pregnant women in Austria have received a Parent-Child Health Passport since 1974 is primarily due to the endeavours of the then Minister of Health, Ingrid Leodolter. Her aim was the early detection and timely treatment of diseases in mother and child as well as monitoring the child's development. The fact that the Parent-Child Health Passport has continued to develop over the past five decades is due to the great commitment of numerous personalities.
In addition to Wilhelm Sedlak, Barbara Hasiba and Reinhold Kerbl, the Austrian Medical Association also honored two experts from MedUni Vienna at an enquete: Gynecologist Dagmar Bancher-Todesca from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has been involved in the further development of the parent-child pass in various functions for many years. Arnold Pollak, Emeritus Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, received the newly created Ingrid Leodolter Medal, primarily for his achievements in the field of toxoplasmosis research.