Arthur Chioro to leave Health Ministry, government confirms

The presidency confirmed Tuesday the departure of Arthur Chioro from his position as head of Brazil's Ministry of Health. According to the presidency's Press Secretariat, the minister had been informed by President Rousseff last week that the ministry could be handed over to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB).

The conversation with Chioro was held Thursday (Sep. 24), before Rousseff headed for New York. On Tuesday (29), the minister received a call from the president on the need to have the position vacant for the ministry reform. The presidency referred to the phone call as a mere “formality.”

Chioro's departure had been previously announced by Humberto Costa, chief of the Workers' Party (PT). According to Costa, when Rousseff talked to Chioro last week about his dismissal as a bid to expand the space given to the PMDB in the government, the president said that “if it so happens that the PT must part with the Health Ministry, it wouldn't be something she'd do willingly—it would come as a result of how the political situation unfolded. Today was just the final announcement on what happened.”

Costa added that the president has been given a Wednesday (30) deadline to set out the guidelines for the reform, and that it would “actually be mean” if she did not keep the minister posted. “She did well, I don't believe there's been any sort of disrespect in that regard,” Costa argued. “Governability sometimes leads to things we wouldn't like to see happen,” he went on to say.

On the minister's departure, the Health Ministry issued a note saying that the ministry overhaul is currently under discussion at the presidential palace and should be announced Thursday (1). Thus far, however, the presidency's Secretariat for Social Communications, has  not confirmed a date for the announcement. Arthur Chioro had been in charge of the ministry since February, 2014.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira

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