Csaba Óváry, Director General of the Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital, has received this year’s international Spirit of Excellence award for stroke care.
According to Dóra Nagyné Szigeti, head of the hospital’s communications and patient documentation department, the Spirit of Excellence award — established by the Angels Initiative — recognizes leaders and healthcare professionals who actively contribute to improving patient care quality not only within their own institutions but also at regional and national levels.
The commendation highlighted Csaba Óváry’s outstanding role in developing stroke care in Bács-Kiskun County with a regional approach. He organized Hungary’s first Regional Steering Committee meeting and has been an active supporter of the FAST Heroes educational program, as well as cooperation between the Angels Initiative and the regional healthcare system.
Óváry, the first Hungarian doctor to receive the recognition, was presented with the award at the European Stroke Organisation ESOC 2026 Congress in Maastricht. Five of the sixteen nominees received the award at the event.
The Angels Initiative supports the development of stroke care in more than 160 countries worldwide.
A few weeks ago, Bács-Kiskun County also received a major international recognition when the Angels Initiative awarded the region the title of “Angel Region” for its coordinated, high-quality stroke care system.
Csaba Óváry graduated from Semmelweis University in 1994 and began his career at the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology. In 2001, he worked in Japan as a researcher at the Noken Akita Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels. For his work, he received a young researcher award at the European Stroke Society congress in Geneva in 2002 and continued his research in Helsinki.
Through his work in neurology and stroke care, he became chairman of the Neurology Section of the Healthcare Professional College in 2020 and vice president of the Hungarian Stroke Society in 2021.
Neurologist, stroke specialist, and healthcare manager Csaba Óváry has served as Director General of the Bács-Kiskun County Teaching Hospital since early 2025.
(MTI)
