Tisza Party slams Hungarian health secretary over propaganda spending, calls for resignation amid healthcare crisis

The opposition Tisza Party’s health spokesman has called on the state secretary for health to outline a programme to reform Hungary’s health-care sector “instead of peddling propaganda”.

András Kulja, an MEP who is also Tisza’s health spokesman, said in a post on Facebook on Monday that some health-care facilities needed basic refurbishments, yet the government planned to spend more than 3 billion forints on fireworks this year, and 1,500 billion forints were given to Chinese battery factories which were withdrawing from the country.

He accused state secretary for health Péter Takács of spending “several hundred thousand forints a day” on “propaganda” videos using a team of five people to present a rosy picture of Hungarian health care, adding that instead the official should reveal to Hungarians “how they intend to solve the shortage of nurses and doctors” and ensure basic care for Hungarians.