„The man is good, but he has no idea about medicine. I don't know who to criticise when he is not a doctor and does not know medicine. The Ministry of Health has a minister, but he is not the Minister of Health“, Liutauras Labanauskas, President of the Lithuanian Doctors' Union (LGS), told Elta.
„He has no competencies; he does not know medicine. The appointment of a man with no connection to medicine was incomprehensible. The Minister of Health does not have to be a medical doctor, but he must have had at least some connection with medicine or training from day one. Whatever questions we ask him, there are no answers“, he added.
However, Labanauskas believes that Dulkys himself should not be criticised but President Nausėda, who appointed him to the post. According to him, it is not worth changing the Minister a few months before the end of his term of office.
„He should not be criticised; those who appointed him should be criticised. The arrow of criticism also falls on the President, after all, he approved it. Why should a person who has no competence be approved? The Ministry has been essentially inactive all these years,“ Labanauskas explained.
„They appointed him themselves. Is it worth changing someone for two months? We do our planned work, but the Minister does not object. The deputy minister is involved,“ he added.
Lack of communication from the Ministry
At the same time, Rūta Kiršienė, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Healthcare Workers' Trade Union (LSADPS) board, commented to Minister Dulkys on the establishment of health centres, which started last year.
„We were concerned about establishing the centres with little coordination with the medical community. This is an undiscussed issue. This transformation is down, and the medical community does not see what it is being done for, whether for the patients or the doctors,“ Kiršienė told Elta.
She added that there needs to be more communication between the Ministry and the trade unions this term.
„It is not our competence to answer whether the Minister should be replaced, but there could be more discussion with the medical community. Nowadays, the impression is that the Ministry is working for itself and that it is distant from the working medical profession. There should be more coordination“, she stressed.
ELTA recalls that Nausėda has said that the composition of the outgoing Government should be critically reviewed. The Head of State mentioned that he had specific names of ministers who, from his point of view, could be replaced after the Government returned to office. The Presidency has made it clear that the most questionable is the work of the Minister of Agriculture, Kęstutis Navickas.
However, on Tuesday, Irena Segalovičienė, the President's chief adviser, also commented on Dulkys on Žinių Radijas. She suggested that if he were to step down as Head of the Ministry, there would be leaders in the health system who could take over the position.
By law, the Government resumes its powers when the President is elected. Powers are deemed to be returned when the Prime Minister delivers a written declaration to the Head of State. The President, in turn, entrusts it with its duties until new parliamentary mandates are received and a new Cabinet is formed.
