A man died at a hospital in Szombathely in the spring of 2025, in severe pain and apparently as a result of a hospital-acquired infection. His daughter is trying to find out who was responsible, but her efforts keep hitting a wall.

In a previous investigation, Direkt36 exposed the tragic story of Piroska, an 89-year-old, vigorous woman who died hours after being denied proper care at Szent Imre hospital. Two years have passed since Piroska’s death, and Szent Imre hospital has now expressed its condolences to the family for the first time.

In a complete turnaround from its former secretive attitude, the National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy will publish datasets of hospital-acquired infections by Friday morning and make it searchable on an interactive platform. Every year these infections cause unnecessary suffering and serious complications for thousands of hospital patients, yet so far there has been no success in curbing their spread.

The previous Hungarian government launched inspections at children’s homes after it came to light that then President Katalin Novák had pardoned the accomplice of a convicted pedophile (both men had worked at such an institution). The reports, however, remained confidential. Direkt36 has now obtained the documents, which detail serious shortcomings and appalling conditions.

At least ten years ago, the Orbán government already had documentation showing that the healthcare system was struggling with systemic problems, yet they never spoke about this openly. According to a document obtained by Direkt36, as early as 2015 not a single Hungarian hospital met the required operational standards.

Orbán and his team remained confident until the last moment that they could stay in power. Following the election, they did not offer any explanation about the reasons of defeat to its supporters, which sparked a heated debate inside the party. This is Direkt36’s article on the downfall of Fidesz.

The foster care system in Hungary is plagued by serious shortcomings.

In Hungary, some patients can only receive one of the most modern cancer drugs upon individual request. According to research by Direkt36, the evaluation process can take weeks, and this delay may have serious consequences for patients.

Direkt36 reported about an elderly but vigorous woman who was admitted to Szent Imre Hospital with severe pain, but according to her son, she did not receive care appropriate to her condition.

János Lázár’s 2018 spat with Viktor Orbán was more heated than previously known. It took Lázár many years of hard work to return to the center of power, and he needed the help of Lőrinc Mészáros, a government near businessman and Orbán ally to do so. According to research by Direkt36, after 2022, Lázár actively sought out Orbán’s company, trying to convince him that he was far better prepared than his fellow ministers.