BRASILIA — Brazil’s Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned on Friday after less than a month in office, deepening turmoil over President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as the country’s outbreak continued to accelerate.
The Health Ministry confirmed Teich’s resignation without immediately providing a detailed explanation. Teich, an oncologist and former healthcare consultant, took office on April 17 after Bolsonaro dismissed his predecessor, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, following disagreements over the government’s response to COVID-19.
Teich’s departure came amid growing differences with Bolsonaro over measures to contain the virus and the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. Bolsonaro had pushed for broader use of the anti-malarial drugs despite a lack of established evidence that they were effective against COVID-19, while Teich had expressed reservations about their use.
The president had also moved to ease restrictions, including expanding a list of activities considered essential to include gyms, beauty salons and barbershops. Teich had criticized some of the moves and was increasingly sidelined in decisions affecting the ministry, Brazilian media reported.
Brazil had reported more than 200,000 confirmed coronavirus infections by Thursday, according to Health Ministry data, surpassing Germany and France in reported cases. The ministry recorded 844 additional deaths that day, taking the official death toll to 13,933.
Teich was the second health minister to leave the government in less than a month. Bolsonaro dismissed Mandetta on April 16 after their public disagreements over social distancing and the pace of reopening the economy. Teich had been appointed the following day.
The resignation raised questions over who would lead the Health Ministry as Brazil faced mounting pressure on its healthcare system and continued political disputes over the pandemic response.
Deputy Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, an army general, was expected to take charge on an interim basis while Bolsonaro considered a permanent replacement, according to people familiar with the government’s plans cited in Reuters reporting.
Teich did not publicly provide a detailed reason for his resignation at the time, leaving the government without its second health minister since the pandemic began.
