People

Professor Mihály Kökény, M.D., PhD. (1950), former Hungarian Minister of Health, trained for medicine, cardiology, health care management and political sciences. He joined the staff of the Hungarian health ministry in 1979. He was elected to the Hungarian Parliament in 1994 and served there between 1994 and 2010. He was working in various government positions including Secretary of State (1994-1996, 2002-3), Health and Welfare Minister (1996-98, 2003-4), Government Commissioner for public health coordination (2004-2006). In the Parliament he was the Chairman of the Health Committee (1998-2002, 2006-2010). Regarding his performance he elaborated the first national public health programme in Hungary (1987) as an advisor of the deputy prime minister. As health minister he initiated major reforms including downsizing the hospital sector and regulating the pharmaceutical market as well as involvement of private sector to health development. He also submitted significant pieces of health legislation to the Parliament. His international activities covers a broad field of health promotion, environment and health and health care reforms as WHO, EU, OECD and World Bank consultant and speaker of major conferences. From 2008 until 2011 he served as a Member of the Executive Board of WHO, from 2010 he was the Chairman of the Board. Currently he works as a health policy consultant. He is Senior Fellow of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, and contributes to global health diplomacy education and research. He is also a lecturer at the University of Debrecen, Faculty of Public Health in Hungary (on global health and health policy). As a Senior Policy Advisor to the Regional Director of the WHO’s European Region he assists national health policy planning in selected Member States in addition to working in a couple of regional projects.