Brazil President Just Fired The Health Minister For Recommending Coronavirus Safety Measures

Brazil's president it seems has sparked another wave of protests following his recent unexpected decision in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.

According to AP, Jair Bolsonaro stoked public anger after he sacked his popular health minister, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, after the two clashed over the government's highly controversial response to the coronavirus pandemic.

AP

Luiz Henrique Mandetta posted on his verified Twitter profile, "I just heard from President Jair Bolsonaro the news of my dismissal from the health ministry."

Acabo de ouvir do presidente Jair Bolsonaro o aviso da minha demiss?o do Minist¨¦rio da Sa¨²de.
Quero agradecer a oportunidade que me foi dada, de ser gerente do nosso SUS, de p?r de p¨¦ o projeto de melhoria da sa¨²de dos brasileiros e

¡ª Henrique Mandetta (@lhmandetta) April 16, 2020

¡°I would like to say thank you for the opportunity that was given to me, to manage our health service ¡­ and to plan our fight against the coronavirus epidemic, this great challenge that our health system is about to face,¡± Mandetta said.

According to a Guardian report, Mandetta¡¯s sacking had been anticipated for weeks as Bolsonaro repeatedly downplayed coronavirus and urged the relaxation of social distancing measures while Mandetta defended such policies.

Luiz Henrique Mandetta, an orthopedist, had garnered support for his handling of the pandemic that included the promotion of broad isolation measures enacted by state governors, even drawing comparisons to Dr Anthony Fauci, U.S. President Donald Trump's top virus expert.

His dismissal comes at a time when experts are apparently saying that the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil is expected to peak in the coming weeks. "You should have absolute certainty that we fought a good fight until here," Mandetta told fellow ministry workers in a televised press conference Thursday after announcing his departure. "But we're at the start of the battle."

Reuters

Bolsonaro, for his part, has apparently always characterised the virus as a 'little flu,' reportedly adding that shutting down the economy would cause more damage than confining only high-risk Brazilians, and touted the yet-unproven efficacy of an anti-malarial drug.

"Life is priceless, but the economy and employment need to return to normality," Bolsonaro said at a press conference on Thursday. He also said he would neither condemn nor criticise Mandetta. "It was a consensual divorce because more important than me and more important than him as a minister is the health of the Brazilian people."

Bolsonaro named Nelson Teich, an oncologist and senior consultant at medical services company Teich Health Care, as Mandetta's replacement. He also has a Master's in Business Administration, according to his LinkedIn page.

Speaking alongside Bolsonaro, Teich said he didn't want to announce any changes abruptly, as little is known about the virus. He added that he and the president are 'completely aligned'. "Health and the economy are complementary," Teich said.

AFP

While rising quickly, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Brazil is still relatively low in relation to the country's massive population of 211 million, though it does have the most cases in Latin America. There have been almost 2,000 deaths. Its peak is expected in May.

Reportedly, following Mandetta's announcement of his firing, people in apartment buildings in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro could be heard yelling insults at Bolsonaro from their windows.

All Inputs PTI