display

Lower Saxony's Minister of Social Affairs, Carola Reimann (SPD), resigned from office on Monday for health reasons.

This was announced by the State Chancellery.

Reimann told Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) in a personal conversation that she would have to resign from her post with immediate effect.

The 53-year-old from Braunschweig has been one of the most requested ministers in the Lower Saxony state cabinet since the beginning of the Corona crisis a year ago.

It is still unclear who will take over the office.

Reimann said according to the announcement that she did not make this decision easy.

In the past week, she had undergone extensive medical examinations.

"The results of these examinations make a prompt stay in hospital necessary and it is foreseeable that I will only be able to exercise my official duties to a very limited extent in the near future," said Reimann.

display

She emphasized that the development of the pandemic required at least one hundred percent commitment and great physical resilience from all politically responsible persons.

This applies in particular to the task in the office of the Minister of Health and Social Affairs.

"In the near future I will not be able to continue doing this work to the extent necessary."

Weil was affected by the disease, but at the same time expressed great understanding.

In the twelve months of the Corona crisis, Reimann worked tirelessly with great expertise and enormous commitment to ensure that Lower Saxony could cope with the pandemic somewhat unscathed.

Reimann convinced in the Corona crisis - but there were also breakdowns

Reimann was a member of the Bundestag from 2000 to 2017.

From 2005 to 2009 she acted there as health policy spokeswoman for the SPD, from 2013 to 2017 as deputy parliamentary group leader.

display

As Minister of Health in Hanover - since the end of 2017 - the unsuccessful start and finally the failure of the care chamber Reimann's work overshadowed for a long time.

In the Corona crisis, she did convince with her knowledge of detailed technical questions.

As a crisis manager, however, she sometimes seemed dogged.

The mishaps with the vaccination information letters, which were also sent to the deceased, the technical problems with scheduling appointments and the slow progress in vaccination have recently increased the pressure on their shoulders.

Against this background, the FDP demanded a change at the top of the ministry in January.