London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

Let us into hospitals to show real COVID picture, says Hungary's media

Let us into hospitals to show real COVID picture, says Hungary's media

A government decree bans journalists from reporting inside hospitals or interviewing health care professionals. Journalists say this risks "exacerbating the epidemic".

Media in Hungary say a government ban on them from talking to medical staff or reporting from hospitals is putting lives at risk.

The country, hit by a record-breaking third wave of COVID-19, has one of the highest levels of new cases per capita in the world.

In an open letter, 28 Hungarian media outlets demanded that they be allowed inside Hungarian hospitals to talk to medical staff and get a "real picture" of the epidemiological situation sweeping the country.

"Lack of information has serious consequences," they said, arguing that because there is no "real-life material from inside hospitals, many are still downplaying the dangers of the epidemic, not taking protective measures, and this can only lead to more illness and, through it, to an exacerbation of the epidemic."

Like much of Europe, Hungary has been tackling a third wave since mid-February. It is now in its fourth week of new lockdown measures.

But new cases have continued to rise with more than 11,265 infections confirmed on March 26 — the highest one-day number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic.

As a proportion of the population, more COVID-19 patients are being treated in hospitals in Hungary than in any other EU country except Bulgaria.

Deaths have followed suit. The country deplored the loss of a record 302 fatalities on Wednesday and continues to have the highest weekly death rate per 1 million inhabitants in the world.

The country of 9.7 million has so far lost 20,737 lives to the pandemic.

These worrying figures come despite the country registering the highest vaccination rate in Europe. Over two million people — so more than 20 per cent of the population — have received at least one dose.

Hungarian health authorities have approved the vaccines backed by the European Medicines Agency as well as Russia's Sputnik V and China's Sinopharm.

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said however that "hospitals are for saving people's lives, not for camera crews to disturb hard-working professionals".


In a statement on Facebook, he also accused "left-wing portals" of spreading "fake news to discredit Hungary's healthcare".

The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been accused of cracking down on the free press, including by the European Commission.

The Council of Europe said on Tuesday that "the combined effects of a politically controlled media regulatory authority and distortionary state intervention in the media market have eroded media pluralism and freedom of expression in Hungary".

The human rights organisation called on the Hungarian authorities "to show due regard for the editorial independence of all public and private media" and to condemn all instances of hate speech against journalists.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×