Dr. Zoltán Szabó was an iconic figure whose personality defined the work of the entire heart clinic, said rector Dr. Béla Merkely, the current head of the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center, at the unveiling of the relief sculpture at the clinic’s cardiac surgery unit. He noted that professor Szabó was a real “builder” who turned the institution into a world-class heart clinic. The relief was placed at the cardiac surgery department because Dr. Szabó, who died in 2015, started his work there every day, visiting his patients early in the morning, the rector recalled. The sculpture was unveiled in the presence of Dr. Szabó’s widow and grandchild.
Gallery
In his opening presentation at the memorial meeting held in honor of Dr. Szabó, rector Dr. Béla Merkely briefly summarized the career of the professor, who also served as dean and vice-rector, but the Városmajor clinic was closest to his heart. He talked about the history of the heart center, including the investments started by Dr. Szabó, thanks to which the center became the flagship unit of Semmelweis University. Among his professional accomplishments, he noted that Dr. Szabó performed the first motor-assisted heart surgeries, created and implanted the first pacemaker in Hungary and the first two heart transplants in the country took place near the end of his career, in 1992. “Those patients are still alive today, one of them with the same heart transplanted by the professor,” noted Dr. Merkely, adding that today around 60 heart transplants are performed each year at the clinic. He also pointed out that the top-of-the-line hybrid operating room at the center is named after Dr. Szabó. The rector also talked about ongoing investments at the clinic, including the expansion of the research lab, energy saving developments, the building of a new wing, as well as new doctor’s rooms and labs being built and the upgrading of the operating theaters.
Eszter Keresztes
Translation: Tamás Deme
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
