Andalusia's new strongman handling the cancer screening scandal
The Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno, places a political profile at the head of Health, which has already been the subject of controversy.
BarcelonaThe scandal over communication errors and delays in breast cancer screening in Andalusia has brought a prominent name within the Andalusian People's Party (PP) over the past week, but one that had been relatively unknown outside the autonomous community until now. This is Antonio Sanz, the Minister of the Presidency of the Andalusian Regional Government, who has also headed the Health Department since October, replacing Rocío Hernández, who was dismissed by President Juanma Moreno.
Right now, then, Sanz is personally managing, alongside Moreno, the crisis facing the Andalusian government. A law graduate from the University of Cádiz, his profile is clearly political. After being part of the New Generations of the People's Party (PP), Sanz began a long career in institutions as a deputy in the Andalusian Parliament for several terms, becoming spokesperson for the parliamentary group between 1999 and 2006. He later moved to the Senate, and between 2015 and 2018, with Mariano Rajoy, with Mariano Rajoy in Andalusia. A few months later, in January 2019, he joined Moreno's government.
Within the executive, he has become a key figure. Since the beginning of the term, he has led the Ministry of the Presidency and also holds responsibilities for Emergencies, two of the portfolios that form the core of any government. Now, in addition, Moreno has entrusted him with Health—a portfolio with most of the responsibilities transferred to the autonomous regions—at a critical time.
The move to appoint someone who was already a member of the government as Health Minister can be understood as a show of confidence by Moreno in a long-time member of the Andalusian PP, but also as an attempt to avoid wearing out a new political figure at a time when there is, at most, a year left until the regional elections, which must be held in 2010. In just over two weeks, the new minister has already been involved in some controversies. For example, this Wednesday He described some of the lawsuits filed by the Association of Women with Breast Cancer (AMAMA) as "false accusations." and asserted that the victims contributed to "damaging the credibility" of the health system.
