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June 13, 2020 The President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, has dismissed the Minister of Health, Jaime Mañalich,

the newspaper La Tercera reports.

The minister's departure is due to criticisms of the Ministry of Health's reaction to the pandemic, especially in two areas: the delay in the adoption of preventive measures, such as quarantines, and the controversy over the number of total deaths due to Covid-19.

Enrique Paris, currently president of the National Institute of Medicine, assumes the position of Minister of Health. Chile has so far confirmed 167,355 coronavirus infections and 3,101 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. 

According to Chilean media, Minister Mañalich's resignation took place in the "worst week" in terms of infections and deaths of the Ministry of Health since, 100 days ago, he started his programs to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The outgoing minister is a personality close to the President of the Republic Sebastián Piñera, of which he was also Minister of Health in his first government (2010-2014). He had taken up the post he left today just a year ago.

In statements in the Moneda building after he resigned, Mañalich noted that "we have come to the hardest moment of the pandemic. I believe it is very likely that next week we will have the greatest moment of stress for our health system". For this reason, he concluded, "I shared the need for a new leadership capable of facing this challenge, being able to count on the unity of the country's political and social forces".

Approaching the microphone, Minister Paris paid tribute to his predecessor, author of a "great effort" and thanked the head of state who "called me to face a gigantic commitment".

Finally, the minister made an appeal "to a common work of all those working in the health sector", hoping for "a dialogue that will allow you to listen to all opinions for the good of the country and the health of our people". For his part, Piñera "thanked Mañalich deeply and sincerely for his dedication in defense of the health of the Chilean population". Greeting the new minister Paris, the head of state announced that he "will have a great responsibility to guide the profound reform of Chilean health, both public and private".