Few times does an interview of less than two minutes generate so many headlines. Pedro Gullón Tosio, Director General of Public Health and Health Equity, starred in one of those television moments on Monday that go viral even before the programme ends. The setting was Todo es mentira, on Cuatro. The trigger was the disembarkation of the MV Hondius cruise and the images of a technician getting off a bus without a mask or PPE. The rest has been seen by half of Spain.
Who is Pedro Gullón Tosio
Before diving into the spat with Risto Mejide, it is worth recalling who the guest in question is, as his resume is not exactly that of a novice. Gullón holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Alcalá, specialising in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, and has a master’s and PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from the same university. To top it off, he has a postgraduate degree in public policy and the right to the city from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
His career has been primarily academic and research-oriented. He has been a professor at the University of Alcalá, an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University, and has worked at institutions in the United States and Australia, including RMIT in Melbourne and Drexel University. His main research obsession has always been the same: social inequalities in health and how urban planning, housing, or the environment ultimately determine the life expectancy of an entire neighbourhood.
From the pandemic to the ministry office
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gullón worked on the evaluation of non-pharmaceutical interventions, the study of the social inequalities of the virus, and the analysis of vaccine hesitancy. He collaborated with the Centre for Coordination of Alerts and Emergencies and the Health Department of Navarra. He was, to put it mildly, one of those technical voices that circulated beneath the media noise.
The leap to his position came on January 9, 2024, when the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of Health led by Mónica García, appointed him Director General of Public Health and Health Equity through Royal Decree 30/2024. He replaced Pilar Aparicio in a reshuffle that also saw Belén González Callado appointed as Commissioner for Mental Health. On paper, everything fit: a young epidemiologist with a research profile and a modern public health vocation. On screen, we shall see.
The clash with Risto Mejide over the MV Hondius cruise
The set of Todo es mentira has been following the management of the MV Hondius operation for weeks, the cruise affected by an outbreak of hantavirus that has kept the Canary Islands on edge and the central government organising a scrutinised disembarkation. The situation became complicated when images were aired showing a health technician removing their PPE and mask upon getting off the minibus transporting the passengers. The question was obvious: were there any protocol failures or not?
Risto Mejide connected with Gullón to extract a response. And here the spectacle begins. The Director General, true to his technical profile, defended that “the measures are well above the risk of hantavirus” and that those images were “mere anecdotes” within a safe operation. A reasonable argument from an epidemiological standpoint, as hantavirus is not easily transmitted from person to person. But of course, in television, anecdotes also carry weight, and a lot.
Less than two minutes and “good afternoon”
Mejide insisted. Whether the technician removed the PPE inside or outside the bus, the tests, the cameras. Gullón, sensing where this was heading, dropped the phrase that sealed the connection: “I’m not going to answer that”. Poor choice. The presenter responded live with an “Ah, well, if you’re not going to answer, I won’t either. Good afternoon”. And cut.
Immediately after, the publicist launched into his speech of “I’m especially fed up with public representatives not responding” and warned those who might appear on his show: if you’re not going to answer, you know the door. Thus far, just another television row. Thus far.
The “son of a bitch” that set social media ablaze
What was truly memorable came afterwards when the programme decided to air the images following the cut, showing Gullón taking off his headphones, slamming his hand on the table, and letting out a loud “son of a bitch” presumably directed at the presenter. Risto introduced it this way: “We never do this, but it’s worth it for you to meet Pedro Gullón”. And he finished with his signature irony, saying “he recommended a lot of fruit to me”, which is now circulating in a loop.
Divided reactions on X
Social media, true to its bipolar nature, divided into two perfectly predictable camps. On one side, those who accused Risto of being a “despot” and “arrogant”, equating him with other presenters who are not fond of nuance. On the other, those who applauded the presenter for standing up to a high-ranking official who preferred to hide behind the “I’m not going to answer” rather than admit that perhaps a technician strolling around without PPE is not exactly an anecdote.
Gullón himself found himself in an uncomfortable position: technically he may be right about the real risk of hantavirus, but politically he just handed the opposition and half of the talk show a viral video complete with a slap and an outburst. And that, in a role whose mission is to communicate public health credibly, is not exactly an asset. Mónica García and the rest of the Ministry of Health are watching the situation with the expression one has when the intern breaks the photocopier just on audit day.
Why this episode matters beyond the sensationalism
Beyond the easy headline, the exchange leaves several interesting readings. The first is that institutional communication in health remains the Achilles' heel of the system: a brilliant technical profile can sink in thirty seconds of bad television. The second is that the short, aggressive interview format does not allow “I’m not going to answer” as a response without paying a toll. And the third is that the MV Hondius case will still yield more chapters, because when a subsequent positive case appears in Madrid, questions about protocol do not evaporate with a slap.
Pedro Gullón is, on paper, one of the best-trained epidemiologists to have held the position in years. His track record speaks for itself. But as anyone who has sat in front of a camera knows, in television, it’s not always the one who is right who wins: it’s the one who knows how to respond. And this Monday, on Todo es mentira, the Director General of Public Health made it clear that his television oratory skills are still in the training phase.
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