Home ›› 17 Apr 2020 ›› World Biz
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro terminated Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta on Thursday following speculation the minister would be dismissed amid tensions over his handling of the country's coronavirus response.
In a tweet, Mandetta said, "I just heard from President Jair Bolsonaro the notice of my dismissal from the Ministry of Health," going on to give thanks for having the opportunity to put in motion a project to improve the health of Brazilians during the coronavirus, which he called a "great challenge".
Nelson Teich has been appointed as the new health minister of the country.
The President and the health minister have clashed for weeks over the need for widespread social isolation in the country to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The far-right leader argued the measures are unnecessary and economically harmful. Bolsonaro has downplayed the threat of the coronavirus as a "little flu," arguing that Brazil's economy must continue to run normally and defending the use of unproven drugs like hydroxychloroquine.
The health minister, Mandetta said he would assist his replacement during the transition in the ministry.
The Health Ministry's response to the epidemic was rated "good" or "great" by 76 percent of Brazilians surveyed by pollster Datafolha this month. Just 33 percent of those surveyed gave Bolsonaro the same ratings.
Teich,the new minister had been considered as a candidate for health minister in 2018 when Bolsonaro won election, although Mandetta ultimately got the job. Teich currently works as a medical consultant..
Brazil's death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus, was at 1,736 on Wednesday, while confirmed cases reached 28,320, according to data from the ministry.
(SOURCE: Al Jazeera)
