Bolsonaro announces new health committee, proclaiming unity of all government branches

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After meeting with allied governors and Legislative and Judiciary officials, President Jair Bolsonaro spoke on Wednesday morning, March 24th. The meeting had been called to discuss Brazil’s response to the pandemic after record breaking deaths and the collapse of the health system.

After the meeting, the president made a brief statement alongside the president of the Chamber, Arthur Lira, the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, the presiding Justice of the STF, Luiz Fux, and the new Health Minister, Marcelo Queiroga.

In his speech, Bolsonaro said that the meeting demonstrates the union of all government branches, with the “intention of minimizing the effects of the pandemic” and putting “life in first place.”

For the first time in a government speech, the speeches after the meeting sought to bring the responsibility of fighting the pandemic closer to the federal level, with the promise of more dialogue with governors and more national measures against the coronavirus.

In a brief moment, Bolsonaro again flirted with early treatment, although he said in the aftermath that there is still no remedy.

“We also deal with the possibility of early treatment, this is up to the Minister of Health, who respects the right and duty of the doctor to treat those infected,” he said. “It is a disease, as everyone knows, still unknown, a new strain or a new virus has appeared, and we are increasingly concerned about giving the proper treatment to these people.”

“We don’t have the remedy yet, but our unity and our effort among the three powers of the republic in directing ourselves to what really matters, without there being any conflict and politicization of the solution to the problem, I believe is the way,” the president said in the aftermath.

First to speak after Bolsonaro, the new Health Minister, Marcelo Queiroga, said that the meeting was of “high level”. Queiroga took office yesterday, in a closed-door ceremony, replacing General Eduardo Pazuello.

The minister spoke of “strengthening the public health system coordinated in the three levels” and the creation of national care protocols. During his brief speech, he did not mention early treatment. “The Brazilian health system will give the answers that the Brazilian population wants,” he said, and reinforced the unity of the three powers to fight the virus.

With the worsening of the health crisis, Bolsonaro has been oriented by members of Congress and government officials to leave drug advocacy out of his speeches and focus only on mass immunization. The change of command of the Ministry of Health was also built in this context in which the government is trying to reduce the wear and tear caused by the conduct of the fight against the pandemic.

On Wednesday, Brazil broke the sad record of 3,158 deaths in 24 hours, totaling 298,843 lives lost. By Thursday, the death toll will surpass 300 thousand.

Health Committee

Bolsonaro also announced that a crisis coordination committee will be created, led by Pacheco, president of the Senate, and will meet weekly, listening to experts, the Ministry of Health and governors.

Source: Exame