New Brazilian health minister Marcelo Queiroga vows to “follow science” and promote “great national dialogue”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Appointed to the position of Health Minister, physician Marcelo Queiroga said on Thursday, March 18th,  that he will try to build “a great national dialogue” with states, municipalities and civil society on the fight against covid-19.

He said that President Jair Bolsonaro has granted him autonomy to build his team, and when asked what he will do differently, he said he “will follow science.”

Queiroga gave the statements to journalists as he arrived at the Planalto Palace for a meeting with Bolsonaro. He was called to replace General Eduardo Pazuello, on a date not yet defined, at a time when Brazil is experiencing its most serious moment of the pandemic, with record deaths, a collapse in the hospital system, and a shortage of vaccines to immunize the population.

“I have a meeting with the president. We are highly committed to reversing the complex situation in public health here in Brazil,” he said.

“The president has already directed me to take action, particularly in broad dialogue with health secretaries, state and municipal secretaries, and with civil society as a whole,” he said. “And you [journalists] are an important part of this. You are going to help us build a great national dialogue. When I take office, we will talk broadly and you will be able to ask me questions, ask about the measures that will be put in place.”

According to Queiroga, these “are all measures that have already been repeatedly disclosed by science.” “Everything is going to work out fine. I’m counting on you,” he said.

Asked about the record number of Covid-19 deaths in Brazil, he said that “conditions need to be put in place to improve hospital care, particularly more ICUs (Intensive Care Units).” The scenario is an international public health emergency, with the peculiarity that in Brazil there is “an environment with virus strains,” he said.

Queiroga celebrated the fact that there is a vaccination campaign being implemented in the country, with prospects for expansion. But he recognized that vaccines do not solve the problem in the short-term. As a solution, he argued for an “intelligent social distancing policy” and improved ICU care.

“The vaccine, as we know, will not solve these deaths in the short-term. What will? A policy of intelligent social distancing and improving care in intensive care units,” he said.

The future Minister also stated that the government will not magically reduce the tragic numbers.

“No government has a magic wand to solve all the problems. Science is on our side, we need to implement assistance protocols to qualify our human resources to seek better results,” he said. “It is a complex situation and we need to strive to defeat our common enemy, which is the virus.”

When asked about what can be done differently by the government, he replied, “It is already being done. The difference is to follow the recommendations of science.” “The president has chosen a doctor for the Ministry. A doctor who comes from a scientific society in the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, who has always been a protagonist of evidence-based medicine.”

Queiroga urged journalists for “patience” in building his team and introducing “additional measures” to pull the country out of the pandemic’s acute phase. “The president has granted me autonomy to build my team. And I ask you for a little patience so that, in the short-term, we can introduce measures that complement those that have been put in place to improve this scenario,” he said.

The future minister said that his inauguration has not yet been scheduled by Bolsonaro, “because documentary issues are required.”

“There aren’t two Health Ministers. The Health Minister is Eduardo Pazuello,” he said. “The president has already appointed me. The president will publish it in the Federal Gazette. There are legal procedures. There is public service. The rules of the law must be followed. It is the president who defines this.”

Source: Valor Globo