Brazil Health Minister resigns less than a month in office, says president Bolsonaro denies COVID-19 reality
May 16, 2020
Brasilia [Brazil], May 16 : Brazilian Health Minister Nelson Teich has resigned after being in office for less than a month, even as the number of coronavirus cases continues to surge in the country.
Teich became the second Brazilian health minister to resign after replacing Nelson Mandetta, who was at odds with Bolsonaro's decisions regarding the social distancing measures, The New York Times reported.
"Life is made up of choices, and today I chose to leave," Teich was quoted as saying by NYT. "I didn't accept the job for the position itself. I accepted it because I thought I could help the country and its people."
Although Teich did not provide a reason for his resignation but he did not shy away from rebuking President Jair Bolsonaro. " I am disappointed by a president who denies reality," he said.
As he announced his decision to step down he warned the people of Brazil that the country is not ready to deal with the projected number of cases of the novel coronavirus.
"We are expecting more cases now that fewer people are following isolation measures and the health care system isn't prepared for that," Teich added.
In a Facebook post, he further said: "that I didn't accept the invitation for the position, I accepted for Brazil and especially by all Brazilians."
According to NYT, one of the points of contention between Bolsonaro and his two health ministers was the president's endorsement of an anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which did not agree with.
As things stand, Brazil is the sixth worst-hit country in terms of the number of coronavirus cases.
As of Friday, it had 218,223 cases of the infection and 14,817 deaths.
