Nísia leaves, Padilha enters in Health: what is known about Lula's ministerial reform

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) has decided to change his ministerial team, at a time when he is trying to reverse his falling popularity — but a broader ministerial reform has not yet been announced, as is being considered behind the scenes in Brasília.

He announced this Tuesday (25/02) the resignation of the Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, who will be replaced by Alexandre Padilha, a doctor and currently Minister of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations, responsible for the government's political articulation.

The change will be made official after Carnival, on March 6, according to a statement from the Planalto Palace. It has not yet been announced who will replace Padilha. One of the names being considered is that of the president of the PT, federal deputy Gleisi Hoffmann.

A long-time PT member, Padilha was in charge of Health for three years in Dilma Rousseff's (PT) first government, between January 2011 and February 2014.

The change opens space for Lula to improve relations with Congress, as the minister had been facing problems in conducting political negotiations, having been publicly called incompetent by former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira (PP-AL).

The Planalto Palace, however, did not give an official explanation for the ministerial change.

According to the Brazilian press, Nísia Trindade was fired due to Lula's dissatisfaction with the department's results.

According to the newspapers O Globo and Folha de S.Paulo, the president is reportedly uncomfortable with the lack of an important milestone in his third term in the health sector.

One of the disappointments would be the performance of the More Access to Specialists program, which aims to increase the population's access to specialized exams and consultations in areas such as oncology, orthopedics, cardiology and ophthalmology.

Padilha, in turn, was responsible for launching the Mais Médicos program in 2013, which became a hallmark of the PT governments by increasing the supply of doctors in more distant and vulnerable regions of the country.

He is an infectious disease specialist graduated from the University of Campinas (Unicamp) and has a specialization from the University of São Paulo (USP).

The politician is also a veteran of the PT, having been part of the coordination of Lula's campaigns in 1989 and 1994.

In 2014, he ran for state governor of São Paulo, but was defeated by Geraldo Alckmin, now vice president in the Lula government.

Padilha was also Secretary of Health for the city of São Paulo between 2015 and 2016, during the Fernando Haddad (PT) administration.

In 2018, he was elected federal deputy, being reelected in 2022. Having taken on the role of minister, first of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations and now of Health, Padilha took leave from his role as parliamentarian.

During the 2022 presidential campaign, Padilha dedicated himself to dialogue with businesspeople and financial market agents.

Ministerial reform?

The announcement of the change comes after months of speculation about a ministerial reshuffle, a discussion that gained new momentum after Lula's sharp drop in popularity at the beginning of the year.

According to a Datafolha poll released on February 14, the president's approval rating fell from 35% to 24% in two months, the worst level ever recorded by the PT member in all his terms. His disapproval rating is also a record, rising from 34% to 41%.

In this context, Centrão parties are pressuring the president for more space in the Esplanada dos Ministérios.

One of the coveted portfolios was Health, but Lula did not want to give up the ministry.