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Five days after Ebola case confirmed, Deputy PM takes control of crisis

Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría replaces Health Minister at helm of government response

Deputy PM Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.
Deputy PM Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.EFE

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría on Friday took control of the government’s management of the Ebola crisis, which began on Monday when a nursing assistant was confirmed to have contracted the virus while caring for an infected Spanish missionary.

Five days after the news of Teresa Romero’s condition was made public, and with Health Minister Ana Mato yet to give any explanations regarding the chain of errors that have characterised the crisis, the government appeared to be taking control of the situation on Friday, announcing that it would be creating a committee of scientific experts on the virus.

Sáenz de Santamaría will take charge of the crisis committee that will be formed by representatives from the ministries of Defense, Interior, Presidency, Economy and Justice. What’s more, it will be made up of a representative from the Madrid regional health department, the president of the Scientific Committee for Ebola and a representative from Carlos III Hospital, where confirmed patients and suspected cases are being treated. The committee will meet at least once a day and a number of its members will be dedicated exclusively to the crisis.

“This is a flexible committee and we will be able to call on more people, on more experts,” she added. The commission will also be responsible for providing more information to the public about the virus. “We believe this is the best time to create this commission because our job, and that of Spain’s autonomous regions, is to work in the most coordinated manner possible,” she explained.

The deputy PM, who will be taking over the management of the crisis from Health Minister Ana Mato, explained that the committee will establish protocols of transparency so that the public receives the necessary information. She also pointed out that an investigation into the infection of Teresa Romero has already been opened and that the government hopes to have conclusive information very soon.

“The priority is to reinforce the information that is given to the public, given that this is a relatively unknown disease and our job is to explain to people how Ebola is transmitted and how it is not,” Santamaría added.

When asked about the responsibilities of the government and the Health Ministry regarding the crisis, Santamaría replied that “now is not the time because the priority is the life of Teresa. […] I believe that the magnitude of human lives is more important than the political position of those of us who are managing the crisis,” she concluded.

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