Minister of Health minimizes political pressure for change in command of the portfolio

The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, said this Wednesday (21) that the decision whether or not to stay in office will be up to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who has been under pressure from parties to change command of the folder. Last Monday (19), Minister Alexandre Padilha, of Institutional Relations, announced that the nominations for the position will be technical.

“The position of the Ministry of Health, in fact, is very important, but I have a career dedicated to the Unified Health System
[SUS]. I believe that, at this moment, improving relations with the Legislative Power has to be the focus of the government and it has been”, said Nísia to the Bom Dia Ministro program, by Agência Brasil.

Despite minimizing the possibility of being replaced by someone else in charge of the ministry, Nísia said that the moment is to “balance” the president’s relationship with the Chamber of Deputies. “The important thing for Brazil is that the Ministry of Health is strengthened”, she said.

The speech is similar to that of Padilha at the beginning of the week, that the folder does not enter as a party quota “of any party” since the beginning of the government.

“[Lula] chose a woman [Nísia Trindade]the first woman to occupy the Ministry of Health, chose the former president of Fiocruz, for all the role she played during the pandemic”, he added.

According to Padilha, the government is talking to the political parties of the allied base, especially União Brasil, about their nominations for positions in the government.