President Keiko Fujimori defended her appointment of Luis Dyer as health minister, after his selection drew criticism for his lack of experience in the health sector.
Fujimori said she chose Dyer based on management ability rather than a medical profile, and asked the public to wait for results before judging his performance.
Dyer moved to the health ministry from his post as head of poll watchers for Fuerza Popular, Fujimori's own party. That background fueled criticism from medical associations, who questioned his lack of technical experience to lead a sector facing structural problems such as medicine shortages and overcrowded hospitals.
Speaking to the press, Fujimori said her cabinet was complete from the first day of her government. She compared that pace with what she called previous eras, when forming a cabinet took several days, aiming to project an image of order and speed at the start of her administration.
Fujimori said the main criterion for choosing her ministers was the ability to solve concrete problems facing citizens. For Dyer, she said the goal is to improve care at hospitals and clinics, guarantee medicine supplies and reduce the lines patients face daily.
Medical College criticism and the government's response
The Colegio Médico del Perú, Peru's medical association, expressed concern over Dyer's appointment, arguing the position requires a background in public health.
Fujimori responded to the objections without directly confronting the technical argument. She said she had seen the association's concerns, but stressed that her priority was finding someone capable of putting the sector's management in order, not necessarily a medical specialist.
Fujimori described Dyer as a great manager with the ability to coordinate with doctors, nurses and the ministry's technical staff.
The president also announced she will require her ministers to travel regularly to Peru's regions, asking that officials spend at least three days a week in the interior of the country. She said she would resume those trips herself. She also ruled out changes to public holidays or cuts to labor rights.
