LIMA – Peru’s health minister resigned yesterday, reported state TV, amid a growing scandal over claims that former president Martin Vizcarra received Covid-19 vaccination before the jab was available to the public.
Pilar Mazzetti – who served as health minister since last July – has presented her letter of resignation to President Francisco Sagasti, said TV Peru.
The government has yet to confirm that she is stepping down.
Her successor is due to be sworn in today, reported local media, and will be the South American nation’s fifth health minister since the pandemic emerged in the country 11 months ago.
The new minister will take office as the country continues to be hammered by a second wave of Covid-19 – hospitals are overrun with more than 14,100 coronavirus patients, and have reported a lack of oxygen to treat those with breathing problems.
Peru began its immunisation programme only on Tuesday, two days after receiving 300,000 vaccine doses from state-owned Chinese company Sinopharm.
But, the Peru 21 newspaper on Thursday reported that Vizcarra was vaccinated in secret last October, just weeks before he was impeached and removed from office on charges of being “morally incompetent”.
He has insisted that he merely volunteered in a vaccine trial for the Sinopharm jab.
“I made the brave decision to join the 12,000 volunteers,” said the former president, who is currently campaigning to win a seat in Congress in April elections.
The 57-year-old said he kept the fact a secret – his wife, too, took part in the trial – because “volunteers have to maintain confidentiality”.
However, rival legislator Ali Mamani said his party will file a formal complaint against Vizcarra.
Mazzetti, who was appointed by Vizcarra, previously said she knew nothing about her former boss’ jab, and that those in decision-making positions should not take part in such trials “so as to not skew the results”.
Peru, which has recorded some 1.2 million coronavirus cases and more than 43,000 deaths among its 33 million people, began immunising healthcare workers this week.
Authorities have yet to announce when immunisation of the wider population will begin. – AFP, February 13, 2021
