Hungary investigates 300 billion forint ventilator procurement flaws

Documents reviewed by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade suggest that thousands of ventilators purchased for approximately 300 billion forints during the COVID-19 pandemic were of substandard quality. According to György László Velkey, Parliamentary State Secretary, a military physician's 2020 assessment categorized 16,583 ventilators into three groups: 8,413 were suitable for hospital use, while 7,874 were deemed either to require “serious compromise” or were “not recommended for use at all.”

The physician noted critical technical flaws, such as imprecise air volume adjustment knobs and fixed oxygen levels that could not be adjusted, making some machines clinically unusable. The ministry alleges that the previous leadership, under former Minister Péter Szijjártó, was aware of these quality issues upon delivery.

Foreign Minister Anita Orbán has announced a formal report regarding these procurements, citing suspicions of breach of trust that caused significant financial loss. Investigations into the documentation revealed incomplete records, requiring IT tools to recover files that were allegedly deleted.