János Révész, Hungary’s national hospital director-general, has announced his resignation just one day before the incoming Tisza-led government takes office, saying the country’s changing political leadership should be free to appoint its own healthcare chief.
The outgoing head of the National Directorate General for Hospitals confirmed on Thursday that he had stepped down from his post effective 8 May, while his employment will officially end at the end of June.
Révész says new leadership should choose its own hospital chief
In a public statement, Révész said the decision was motivated by the imminent political transition in Hungary. Under Hungarian law, the national hospital director-general is appointed by the prime minister on the recommendation of the minister responsible for healthcare.
“With both the minister and the prime minister changing after 9 May, I believe it is ethical and supportive to allow the new leadership to appoint the person it considers most suitable as soon as possible,” he wrote.
Révész also welcomed the fact that healthcare will once again be represented at ministerial level in the new government after 16 years, describing it as a “historic opportunity” for patients and healthcare workers alike.
“The issue of patient care will receive strong political support, and the room for action will expand. I hope this new framework can lead to genuine structural reforms and development,” he added.
Healthcare reform expected under incoming Tisza government
The resignation comes amid expectations of major reforms in Hungary’s struggling healthcare sector under Prime Minister-designate Péter Magyar and the incoming Tisza government.
Healthcare has become one of the most sensitive domestic issues in Hungary in recent years, with hospitals frequently criticised over staff shortages, long waiting lists, ageing infrastructure, and financing problems.
The new government has already signalled that healthcare will become a top political priority, a move many doctors and patients have long demanded.
Révész previously sparked controversy
Révész was appointed to lead the national hospital system in December 2023 on the recommendation of then-Interior Minister Sándor Pintér under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, Telex writes.
Before that, he headed the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Central Hospital and University Teaching Hospital in Miskolc.
He attracted nationwide attention in 2023 after reportedly instructing hospital staff to stand up and greet department heads during morning meetings, a measure that triggered criticism and debate in Hungary’s medical community.
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Long medical career in Hungary and abroad
According to his official biography, Révész was born in Budapest in 1971, studied medicine at the Semmelweis University, and later specialised in clinical drug development in the United States as well as hospital and hotel management in the United Kingdom.
Most of his career was spent in Miskolc, where he worked in several medical leadership positions and later became head of the oncology centre.
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