Health Minister Kubinyi takes up his post

The new health minister Social Democrat Jozef Kubinyi took up his post on Thursday. Mr Kubinyi replaced Marie Souckova who was recalled earlier this week for failing to produce a sound reform plan for the health sector. Minister Kubinyi is expected to start work on a new reform plan immediately. During the appointment of Mr. Kubinyi at Prague Castle on Wednesday, President Vaclav Klaus described the health ministry as an ailing institution, which has seen the highest number of ministers come and go, and whose state of health is even worse than that of the health sector it is supposed to reform.