Citing the OECD’s recent Health at a Glance report, Rétvári said Hungary’s health-care spending rose by nearly 1.5% of the country’s GDP after a steep decline earlier. OECD data show that thanks to government measures Hungarians have had better access to sports, healthy food and medical services in the past few years, Rétvári said.

For instance Hungarian children are better protected from the most infectious diseases than the EU average, mandatory every-day physical education in school curriculums has paid off, with Hungarian youth getting more exercise than the average European, and breast and prostate cancer rates cited lower than the EU average.

Rétvári said other government measures promoting health, such as the fat tax and model school meals, have also been successful.

Daily fruit consumption has increased: Hungary is above the EU’s average, ranking sixth among all countries in this respect.

Hungary also has a good number of doctors, there are 14.5 of them for every 100,000 Hungarians, compared with an EU average of just 12.3.

There are also 40.5 registered nurses per 100,000 people, as against 39.1 in the EU on average, he added.