A. Pečkauskas is appointed Minister for Health
Following the nomination of Deputy Minister of Health Aurimas Pečkauskas to the post of Minister of Health by Prime Minister Ingrid Šimonyte and the signing of a decree to that effect by President Gitanas Nausėda, Pečkauskas will take up the post of Minister of Health after he has taken the oath of office in the Seimas. He will succeed Arūnas Dulkis, who has served as Health Minister for three years and seven months.
Mr Pečkauskas says that it is important to ensure continuity of the work that has been started, as well as to deepen the dialogue with professional communities and municipalities that are reorganising their health service provision. "The healthcare system is one of the largest in public service provision, so it is necessary to better meet the expectations of professional communities, patients and municipalities. This will be a key focus. I would identify the main immediate tasks as reaching an agreement with the medical professional communities on changes to social guarantees and remuneration, and the preparation of the budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund for next year, which will determine how well the health system will function in the next year," says the new Health Minister.
Dulkys, who is leaving the post, emphasises that during his almost four years in office, he has managed to implement a number of systemic transformations that will give a qualitative boost over the next ten years. "I am not afraid to emphasise that I have taken responsibility for necessary but unpopular decisions in the field of health care. Although almost two years of the pandemic disrupted the planned political agenda, I have managed to implement a number of transformations during this time: the creation of a national Ambulance Service, the introduction of a new patient transport service, the creation of a third university science and medical centre in Klaipėda, the restructuring of the institutions in charge of public health, and the arrival of a new generation of managers in the Ministry's subordinate institutions.
The outgoing Minister Dulkys presented and left a tree of problems in the health system to the new Minister. The analytical tool, presented as a graphical tree, outlines the key health problems, their causal links and consequences. Over 200 critical situations have been identified through interviews with various actors in the health system. Addressing these situations contributes to a better, more balanced health system. Mr Dulkys hopes that the tool will help not only the new Minister, but also future health policy makers and implementers to make informed and well-reasoned decisions to improve the state of the health system.
Pečkauskas has yet to take the oath of office as Minister, which he will do during the next session of the Seimas. The new Minister will be accompanied by the existing political trust team.
Mr Pečkauskas, 37, has been Deputy Minister of Health since May 2021, in charge of pharmaceutical policy, health insurance and personal health. Previously, he was Medical Director of Kaunas Republican Hospital, worked at Kaunas Clinics of LSMU and a hospital in London. Mr Pečkauskas graduated from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU), where he specialised as an anaesthesiologist. The Minister has teaching experience, has lectured at LSMU, has authored several scientific articles, co-authored a medical textbook with colleagues, and has been active in non-governmental organisations.
Last updated: 12-11-2024
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