SAO PAULO (AP) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro elected his fourth health minister in the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, amid the country’s worst disease and a series of errors condemned by experts in public health.
Marcelo Queiroga, president of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, will replace Eduardo Pazuello, an active army general with experience in logistics, who made his debut in May last year, despite having no previous medical experience.
Earlier Monday, Pazuello acknowledged at a news conference that Bolsonaro intends to replace him. The first candidate for this position, cardiologist Ludhmila Hajjar, rejected her.
Pazuello’s departure means the opening of Brazil’s fourth health minister during the pandemic, although he has led the ministry for the longest of the three to date. The revolving door signals challenges for the Latin American nation’s largest government to implement effective measures to control the spread of the virus – or even agree on what measures are needed.
Pazuello’s two predecessors left the position amid disagreements with Bolsonaro, who criticized widespread social distancing and advocated the use of an unproven antimalarial drug to treat the disease. He continues to hold these positions, despite admonitions from health experts and studies showing that the drug has no effect on COVID-19.
Pazuello proved more compliant. Immediately after taking office, his ministry supported the use and distribution of the malaria pill. Several times, he said that his boss told him what to do and he obeyed.
“The conversation (with Queiroga) was excellent. I already knew him a few years ago. He has everything he needs to do a good job, continuing what Pazuello has done to this day, ”Bolsonaro told supporters at the entrance to the presidential residence in Brasilia, adding that there will be a transition period of up to two weeks with the exit and Minister of Entry.
“Pazuello’s work was well done in the management part. We are now in a phase that is more aggressive in the fight against the virus, “said the Brazilian president.
Brazil has recorded nearly 280,000 deaths from the virus, almost all of them under surveillance. The number has worsened recently, with the nation averaging more than 1,800 deaths each day. Healthcare systems in big cities are on the verge of collapse, and parliamentarians allied with Bolsonaro have proposed appropriate replacements for Pazuello, while threatening to step up pressure for a crisis management investigation.
The country’s high court is also investigating Pazuello for alleged negligence that contributed to the collapse of the health system in the state of Amazonas earlier this year. This investigation will now be sent to a judge from a lower court.
Weeks later, in a particularly embarrassing episode, his ministry accidentally sent a shipment of vaccines to the state of Amazonas to the neighboring state of Amapa and vice versa, after confusing the abbreviations for each state.
Finally, Pazuello faced intense criticism for the slow release of vaccines in Brazil. According to Our World in Data, an online research site that compares official government statistics, only 5.4% of Brazilians have been vaccinated. Almost all were photos of the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac, which Bolsonaro repeatedly questioned.
Pazuello’s health ministry also delayed the decision to buy the vaccine from the Sao Paulo state government until it had no choice but to start immunization in January.
The only vaccine agreement that Pazuello signed at the time, for 100 million doses of AstraZeneca jab, has brought few blows to the arms of Brazilians so far. His ministry was quick to enter into agreements with other suppliers, recently concluding transactions for the purchase of Pfizer and Sputnik V photos.
Pazuello said at the press conference that he will not resign and insisted that there will be continuity with whoever takes office.
Cardiologist Hajjar had already revealed that Bolsonaro had interviewed her to replace Pazuello. She told Globo News that science has already ruled against the treatments Bolsonaro and his legions of supporters continue to promote, such as drugs to fight malaria and parasites, and that the country needs to take more restrictive measures on activity. She said she refused the position.
“He has to choose someone he trusts, who is in line with him, his ideas, his vision and the desire of the government. And I’m definitely not that person, “she said.
Hajjar predicts between 500,000 and 600,000 total deaths, not to mention the long-term consequences, unless Brazil changes course.
Queiroga has already called Bolsonaro “a great Brazilian.” His social media channels did not criticize the way the president treated the pandemic and pressed for the rapid launch of the vaccine.
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AP journalist David Biller contributed to this report from Rio de Janeiro.