Wild celebrations erupted in Hungary after Viktor Orbán was ousted as prime minister in April, ending a 16-year tenure that reshaped the country. As new leader Péter Magyar's Tisza party celebrated their success, one man grabbed global attention: the dancing health minister, Zsolt Hegedűs.
Who is Zsolt Hegedűs?
Dr Hegedűs graduated with a degree in medicine from Budapest's Semmelweis University in 1994, before qualifying as an orthopaedic specialist in 1999. For a decade, he worked in the NHS, serving as a clinical lead and head of the orthopaedic department at North Manchester General Hospital, and later as lead surgeon for day surgery at the Cirencester Treatment Centre. On a medical review website, he holds an average rating of 4.9 stars from 48 patients. After returning to Hungary in 2015, he continued clinical practice before becoming more engaged in healthcare advocacy. He helped lead a campaign against informal cash payments in Hungarian healthcare, served as vice president of a union for residents and specialists, and from 2019 to 2023 was president of the Ethics Collegium at the Hungarian Medical Chamber. In July 2025, he joined Magyar's Tisza Party as chief healthcare expert, and was confirmed in October 2025 as the health minister-designate.
How his dance moves became famous
Last month, as Tisza supporters celebrated Magyar's election win, Dr Hegedűs was at the centre of a moment symbolising the joy and optimism felt by millions. Taking centre stage with colleagues behind him, he stole the show with an enthusiastic air guitar dance, hopping on stage with the Hungarian Parliament Building as a backdrop. Hundreds watched in person, and thousands shared the video online, sending the incoming health minister viral. “There were tons of messages saying ‘Dr Hegedűs, you’re going to get this celebration started, aren’t you?’ or ‘There’s going to be dancing?’” he told The Guardian. Though initially planning to avoid the dance, he said he could “see that the audience had been waiting for this so eagerly” and “didn’t want to let down the people” — so his dance was wheeled out once again.
What are his aims in government?
Dr Hegedűs faces an uphill battle to rebuild Hungary's struggling health system. He has said he wants to incorporate elements of his NHS experience into reforming the Hungarian system, particularly in medical ethics, transparency, a culture of learning, and processing patient feedback, according to Hungarian outlet Telex. He aims to reduce hospital-acquired infections, phase out facial recognition systems, and end a culture of fault-finding in hospitals. He also considers it outdated that patients in Hungary have no say in some treatment decisions. The Tisza government has vowed to increase public healthcare budgetary resources by 500 billion forints (£1.2 billion), Prime Minister Magyar said.
