Dr. MBE at the British Embassy

The recent United Kingdom country focus in Diplomacy & Trade featured an article on the recognition by Queen Elizabeth II of the doctor of the British Embassy in Budapest, Dr. Anna Gedeon, for her dedicated services to the Embassy staff.

“It was in the autumn of last year that the ambassador called to ask me whether I would accept a recognition from the Queen if I was awarded one. As I happened to be in London, I signed a document of acceptance and took it to the Foreign Office in person. A couple of weeks later, I was informed that my nomination for this award was endorsed,” Dr Anna Gedeon, the physician of the British Embassy in Budapest recalls the beginning of the story for Diplomacy & Trade.

The award she received was the honorary MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), which was handed over to her in a ceremony by Ambassador Jonathan Knott at his residence in Budapest, in early May of this year.

As a statement released by the Embassy notes, “Dr Gedeon has offered outstanding practical and moral support to embassy staff, both British and Hungarian, going well beyond the call of her medical duties. Throughout her long service, she has consistently demonstrated the highest level of commitment to the British embassy and exceptional personal kindness to individual staff."

The relationship between Anna Gedeon, current a GP in the 3rd district of the Hungarian capital, and the British Embassy began in the late 1980s. “The Embassy had an English nurse but, according to Hungarian regulations, she was not allowed to give injections, only a doctor could do that. She asked me to do it and this encounter led to signing a contract with the Embassy,” she remembers.

The service provided by Dr Gedeon is that of a classical doctor: medical care for the Hungarian and British employees of the Embassy whom she meets regularly once a month “but also as demand arises,” she says. What’s not classical about it is that many of the British staff come from different parts of the world with various types of medical reports (medication, lab reports, etc.).

Therefore, she sometimes encounters diseases not seen in Hungary, which requires her to look closely into the matter or even consult a colleague. Another specialty of the job is the good command of the English language. “I began to learn English in grammar school and I also did a lot of translations when my husband worked for a Canadian company. That’s what made my English stronger.”

Obviously, she is very proud of this royal recognition. “It is particularly valuable for me as it shows that my dedication to my work has received the attention of the British Embassy and its staff. Also, one rarely hears of such prestigious awards given to medical doctors in Hungary these days, which makes the award even more special,” she concludes.