Epidemic Management: Dr. Horacio Arruda has no regrets

D^R Horacio Arruda was very calm about handling the epidemic today in his first public appearance since stepping down as his national director of public health.

“It’s going very well,” assured the colorful medical expert known by the pandemic.

Now in charge of the Public Health Prevention component, he attended a press conference on the new government’s health care policy, which will benefit from a $ 120 million envelope in three years.

The National Director of Public Health submitted his resignation on January 10 after widespread criticism over the conduct of his holiday season.

Despite the rise of the Omicron variant, as Prime Minister Franకోois Legalt wished, it initially approved a 20-person meeting, eventually lowering that limit for Christmas and then imposing a curfew on New Year’s Day.

The “right” decisions

Six months later, he said he was indifferent to his decision to leave the post in chaos.

“It was not relief or despair,” the doctor said, adding that his role was far broader than pandemic management.

Looking back, d^R Arruda says he has no regrets about what he did during the holiday season.

“I think the decisions I have made, in consultation with others, we think are the best in terms of balance for the Quebec population,” he said.

D^R Arruda recalls the specific occasion when Quebec found himself. “Perhaps in the same case, with the same recommendations, I would still reach the same solutions,” he says.

“It worked very well in the case of the Quebec pandemic,” he assures us, based on data on additional deaths.

An independent director?

On his behalf, Health Minister Christian Dubey said he did not want to commit to creating the post of National Director of Public Health beyond politics, as opposition parties have repeatedly repeated this request.

Until now, the successor d^R Arruda, d.^R Luc Boileau is still an assistant deputy minister, reporting to the minister.

“For now, there will be no changes, because we are still in day-to-day management [de la pandémie] Mr. Dubé said. However, he said the changes would “probably” come in the coming months.