Roman Prymula, the government’s representative for science and research in healthcare and epidemiologist, will become the new Minister of Health, said PM Andrej Babiš.
President Zeman is appointing him this afternoon.
Prymula will replace his former boss, Adam Vojtěch, who announced his resignation earlier on Monday after criticism of the way his ministry has been handling the recent spike in the new coronavirus pandemic.
Roman Prymula
Roman Prymula is a professor of Preventive Medicine at School of Medicine, Charles University, and former director of University Hospital in Hradec Kralove.
Prymula graduated from Military Medical School and Charles University School of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, with a medical degree. He completed an International Certificate in Hospital Management at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom in 1995.
In addition to his active research and teaching activities, he has served as a member of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) management board, Chairman of the Central European Vaccination Awareness Group, and Chairman of the Czech Vaccinological Society JEP.
He is also on the editorial board of several scientific journals and serves as a consultant for several national and international organizations. Prymula has published numerous articles and book chapters on vaccine-preventable infectious diseases and monographs on bioterrorism and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The resignation
Adam Vojtěch (ANO) announced at a press conference on Monday morning that he is stepping down.
His decision comes amid a rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, with the daily total exceeding 2,000 several times in the last week.
Read: Czech Health Minister Vojtěch Resigns
“After careful consideration of the current situation, I have decided to resign as Minister of Health of the Czech Republic. I have already handed over my resignation to the Prime Minister,” he said.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis thanked Vojtěch for his work in a Twitter message. Vojtěch had been heavily criticized over the new wave of infections although some opposition politicians saw him as a scapegoat for the government.
The situation
The Czech Republic has reported growth in coronavirus confirmed cases at Europe’s second-fastest pace in recent weeks, behind Spain, after the country lifted just before summer almost all measures taken during the first wave of the pandemic.
In the past 14 days, the Czechs had 193 cases per 100,000 people, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Read: “I Predict 6 to 8,000 Covid Cases per Day,” Says Prymula
Czech Rep. recorded 985 new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Among a total 49,290 cases, 24,755 have recovered and there were 503 deaths.
The ‘R’ number, which measures how many people are likely to be infected by one person carrying the virus, has hit 1.6. The virus has killed more than 500 people in the country.
