Brazil health official quits Bolsonaro expected to fire minister

A senior Brazilian health official resigned on Wednesday as expectations mounted that President Jair Bolsonaro would soon fire his health minister over disagreements on how to handle the coronavirus outbreak spreading across the country, according to Reuters.

The Health Ministry confirmed the resignation of Wanderson de Oliveira, secretary of health vigilance, who had been leading the fight against the epidemic. In a note to his team seen by Reuters, Oliveira said his boss, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta would likely be fired “in coming hours or days.”

Mandetta told his aides on Tuesday evening that Bolsonaro is likely to fire him this week, according to two people familiar with the matter. The minister told his team he planned to remain in the job until Bolsonaro had chosen his replacement, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Bolsonaro and Mandetta have been at odds over the handling of the coronavirus epidemic for weeks, as the president played down the gravity of the outbreak, touted unproven drugs and attacked governors over lockdown orders.

Mandetta emerged from relative obscurity with technocratic daily briefings presenting the latest science, stressing the need for social distancing measures and earning praise from across the political spectrum.

The health ministry’s response to the epidemic was rated “good” or “great” by 76% of Brazilians surveyed by pollster Datafolha this month. Bolsonaro got the same answers from just 33% of those surveyed.

More than 1,500 people have died of COVID-19 in Brazil, out of more than 25,000 confirmed cases of the respiratory disease.

News.Az