Yesterday, President Jair Bolsonaro appointed Army Colonel Antônio Élcio Franco Filho as the new executive secretary of the Health Ministry. The military officer had previously been serving as deputy executive secretary and is now officially second-in-command at the ministry. Since Interim Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello took office on May 15, at least 17 military officers have been appointed to various positions.
Mr. Pazuello, who has no medical training, was promoted after his predecessor, oncologist Nelson Teich, stepped down due to disagreements with the president over social isolation measures. He is the third person to serve as Health Minister since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil.
As The Brazilian Report has already explained, the influence of the Armed Forces in the Brazilian government has been steadily increasing under President Jair Bolsonaro. Indeed, more officers are serving as cabinet ministers in this administration than during Brazil’s military dictatorship.
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