Hungarian health officials face sanctions and hospital VIP wing abolished

Former health state secretary Péter Takács has been fined one million forints and reprimanded by the Health Science Council for violating the Medical Code of Ethics. The council found that Takács made demeaning comments regarding general practitioners, suggesting they were merely “leftovers” who could not find placement elsewhere. He was also sanctioned for using inappropriate language in a digital conversation with a parent.

Separately, the VIP department and parallel waiting lists at Budapest’s Uzsoki Utcai Hospital are being abolished. Following the dismissal of former director Andrea Ficzere, acting director András Csaba Nagy and politician György László Velkey announced the move to ensure medical care is not determined by a patient’s ability to pay. The decision follows controversies regarding patients paying millions to bypass years-long waiting lists through a private company.