Ex-NHS doctor who is Hungary’s new health boss shows off his moves – again
Hungary’s flamboyant new health minister has attracted attention once again by repeating the dance routine that made him an internet sensation.
Orthopedic surgeon Zsolt Hegedus, a former NHS doctor who has been hailed as one of the rising stars of Hungary’s new government, went on a frenzy of air guitar, high kicks and wild arm waving at new Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s inauguration celebrations.
The 56-year-old doctor had already become a viral hit after his eccentric victory night performance helped end Orban’s 16-year grip on power.
But with tens of thousands of people gathered outside parliament in Budapest on Saturday, Mr. Hegedus appeared determined to complete his first effort.
While on stage, he hopped on one foot, strummed his air guitar, and threw his limbs in multiple directions as the music echoed around the square.
At one point he sent the crowd into a frenzy by urging fans to dance with him.
Cheers echoed throughout the capital as celebrations continued throughout the night following the landslide victory of Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party, which came to power in one of the biggest political upheavals in modern Hungarian history.
Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who founded Tisza in 2024, won 141 seats in Hungary’s 199-seat parliament, gaining an overwhelming parliamentary majority.
Orthopedic surgeon Zsolt Hegedus goes crazy for air guitar, blast beats and wild arm swinging
Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party fell to just 52 seats, while the far-right Our Homeland party took six seats.
Celebrations broke out all over Budapest as supporters flooded the streets, creating a festive atmosphere.
While local markets rose on news of the result, observers in Brussels welcomed hopes of a reset of relations with Hungary after years of clashes with Orban’s government over Ukraine and EU policy.
In a symbolic move on Saturday, the EU flag was once again hoisted outside the Hungarian parliament for the first time since Orban ordered its removal in 2014.
Mr Hegedus, who specializes in hip surgeries, spent a decade living and working in England between 2005 and 2015, taking up roles in hospitals in Manchester and Bristol.
The surgeon has repeatedly praised the NHS, once comparing the British healthcare system to a perfectly prepared Formula 1 car.
“I feel like a Formula One driver in England saying to Mr Hegedus, here is a perfectly prepared and maintained car, we will give you all the tools you need, you just have to do your best, you don’t have to worry about anything else,” he told a Hungarian newspaper last year.
In contrast, he claimed that the Hungarian doctors were given a vehicle ‘with the steering wheel not yet repaired’ and had to organize the repairs themselves while driving.
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Mr Hegedus, who specializes in hip surgeries, spent a decade living and working in England between 2005 and 2015; He held positions in hospitals in Manchester and Bristol.
Since his return to Hungary, Mr Hegedus has become known for campaigning against corrupt cash payments in the healthcare system and has vowed to overhaul the country’s struggling medical services using lessons learned during his time in Britain.
The doctor also comes from a politically prominent family.
His father was a priest who took part in the uprising against Soviet rule in 1956, while his brother served as a member of parliament for a far-right nationalist party.
Addressing his enthusiastic supporters after taking the oath of office, Mr. Magyar said: ‘Today, every freedom-loving person in the world wants to be a little Hungarian.
‘You taught the country and the world that it is the most ordinary, flesh-and-blood people who can defeat the most brutal tyranny.’
The new prime minister has promised sweeping reforms, including anti-corruption measures, restoring the independence of public broadcasting and rewriting the constitution to prevent any future leader from wielding the kind of power Orban wielded during his 16-year tenure.
Just days after his election victory, Mr Magyar raised eyebrows by voicing his hope that Britain could one day return to the European Union, saying: ‘The British were part of the EU too; Let’s hope they rejoin.’
