WMA Urges Hungarian Government to Respect Medical Independence and Cease Attacks on Medical Chamber

The World Medical Association (WMA) has issued a formal letter to Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, expressing deep concern over escalating governmental pressure on the Hungarian Medical Chamber (MOK).

In an official letter to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, WMA President Dr. Ashok Philip condemned recent measures restricting MOK’s rights, including the transfer of ethical oversight from the Chamber to a government-controlled body and the removal of compulsory membership.

The WMA also cited public remarks by State Secretary for Health Péter Takács questioning the Chamber’s very existence and alleging it is part of a “foreign-directed political network.”

“The Hungarian Medical Chamber has been a trusted member of the World Medical Association for many years, recognised for its commitment to public health, the protection of patients, and the ethical values of the profession,” Dr. Philip wrote. “Public attacks on an organization with democratically elected leadership seriously undermine the independence of physicians, one of the essential foundations of medical care, to the detriment of the health and well-being of the Hungarian population.”

The WMA reaffirmed its solidarity with the Hungarian Medical Chamber and called the allegations against it “an insult to the entire medical profession.”

The WMA has called on Prime Minister Orbán to immediately cease the political and legal campaign against MOK and to respect the autonomy of medical institutions in line with international principles of medical ethics and democratic governance.

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