National Hospital Directorate launches countrywide tour to boost autonomy and cut bureaucracy

At the opening of the Magyar Kórházszövetség’s 38th Congress, Dr. Tótth Árpád presented a reform agenda for the Országos Kórházi Főigazgatóság that emphasizes transparency, collaboration and trust over centralized control. He highlighted chronic staff shortages, aging infrastructure and overly bureaucratic oversight as obstacles to effective care. The directorate will adopt a zero-tolerance stance on corruption, misuse of public funds and workplace abuse.

Key priorities include strengthening emergency response, improving capacity planning, modernising digital health services and fostering decentralised management. From October, the OKFŐ will embark on a nationwide tour, personally inspecting each hospital to understand local challenges and guide reforms. Additionally, a draft to overhaul the selection process for hospital directors is under professional review.