Patient changed doctors.
"Once again prioritizing ideological blindness, the president preferred to give the position to an unrepentant Bolsonaro supporter," writes journalist Alex Solnik about the replacement of Luiz Mandetta by Nelson Teich at the Ministry of Health.
By Alex Solnik, for the Journalists for Democracy
Bolsonaro carried out his threats and fired Mandetta, replacing him with Dr. Nelson Teich. He swapped an orthopedist for an oncologist. If he was dissatisfied with the direction Mandetta was taking in combating the biggest pandemic of the last 100 years—and this is the major problem that is here to stay for a long time—the most logical thing would have been to choose someone from the field, an immunologist or infectious disease specialist.
However, once again prioritizing ideological blindness, the president preferred to give the position to an unrepentant Bolsonaro supporter.
With this, he regains leadership in the fight against Covid-19 and sidelines the Speaker of the House, with whom Mandetta had extensive dialogue, and the political class, which will watch the events unfold without having any interaction with the new minister.
Besides Bolsonaro, those who will have contact with Teich will be his military ministers – Braga Netto and Luiz Eduardo Soares – who shared the choice with him.
The side effects can be as dangerous as those already reported by several patients treated with chloroquine.
In his role as governor, Bolsonaro is doing something similar to changing a tire mid-race in Formula 1, while the car is in motion.
Until now, the success or failure of the fight was credited to Mandetta, who was transformed into an instant new national hero and oracle for the country's governors and mayors.
From now on, the responsibility falls to Bolsonaro.
* This is an opinion article, the responsibility of the author, and does not reflect the opinion of Brasil 247.