After less than a month in office, Ukrainian Health Minister Illia Yemets has already faced criticism for saying all pensioners will die during the COVID-19 pandemic, a remark many found flippant.
Now, Yemets is again taking heat for speaking disparagingly of people 65 and older and calling them “corpses,” as seniors are the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus.
The kicker? He’s 64.
In a March 22 interview with the 112 television channel, Yemets was very explicit in his view of how the country should combat the ongoing pandemic.
Yemets said that Ukraine can’t fight COVID-19 alone and should seek help from business and wealthy donors – but that these donors should not spend money on older Ukrainians.
“We know how many people we have over 65,” Yemets said. “I will say frankly that the sponsors who should help us must focus on those people who are still alive.”
“I’m always telling them: Calculate how much money we need to allocate for the living people, not for the corpses.”
Artem Dekhtiarenko, Yemets’ spokesperson, told the Kyiv Post that they are preparing an official response to interpret what the minister actually meant. It’s not the first time Yemets’ press secretary has been forced to issue a public statement explaining the minister’s comments.
In a March 25 video address to the nation, the health minister made more grim predictions. He said Ukraine’s healthcare system wasn’t prepared for the coronavirus, which has killed over 20,000 people worldwide, five of them in Ukraine.
“More people will get infected, I always tell people the truth – more people will die,” Yemets said in the address.
Yemets’ “corpse” remark wasn’t the first time the minister has offended the elderly. On March 13, during the parliament’s health committee meeting, he also didn’t mince words.
“By the way, this virus does not affect children, now all the pensioners will die,” he said in remarks that were widely broadcast on news channels. In response, opposition lawmakers urged the minister to stop talking.
Despite turning 65 in less than a year, Yemets seemingly plans to be around for a long time. According to his official asset declaration, he will need to live 44 more years to pay off the loan he took out to buy a $500,000 house just over a month prior to becoming minister on March 4.
On Jan. 29, Yemets purchased a nearly two-square-kilometer land plot with an elite house on it in Kozin, a village near Kyiv known for its wealthy residents. Yemets paid Hr 12.5 million ($500,000) for this property.
According to his declaration, the sum was lent to him by two businessmen, Yevhen Kubko and Valery Lukomsky. The two are co-owners of a law firm called Salkom.
Slidstvo.info, an investigative journalism project, contacted Kubko, 69, who said that the businessmen agreed with Yemets that he will give them 40% of his income each year to repay the loan.
In 2019, Yemets made a total of $28,000 as head of the health ministry’s Center for Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.
Dekhtiarenko declined to comment on the new house and said the ministry would respond later. He added that Yemets is working very hard to keep the ministry going during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s not the first time Yemets takes charge of the health ministry. In December 2010, Yemets was appointed health minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.
After five months in office, Yemets was fired for incompetence.
© 2020 Kyiv Post
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I thought Donald Trump has set the bar very high for being undiplomatic. But I think we got a world champion here! Congratulations!
I’m glad we have leaders in most European countries that takes this serious. Not only that we’re more prepared for crisis like this, with healthcare for all, with paid sick leave, with social welfare systems for all unemployed, our governments can concentrate on what is essential to do in times like this.
Trump today announced that he want to place soldiers on the border to Canada, he must be afraid of all Canadians that will leave their healthcare for all behind 🙂
Germany failed completely. Spahn refused to close the border when there were only 8 cases registered. He changed his mind when Denmark closed the border, when it was already too late. Now i have Corona and i don’t know the long-term impact for myself and my Suzanna. 😡
One problem was that most countries in Europe was already infected after a football match in Italy and an after ski party in Austria, that’s where most of this was coming to Norway. Suzanna is infected too?
No. But do i know if this virus is sleeping in one of my organs, waiting for the right moment to come again? This is no virus in my opinion, but an intelligent highly infectious weapon.
That’s what they are afraid of, I was reading an article earlier today that this could come back as early as next year.
No the US has the most people infected, 81,943 🙁
Did the guy just say Corona is 20 times deadlier than an ordinary flu virus? That would mean 20% of all infected will die im the long run. 😕
Did you know that Sweden and Denmark have double the deaths per capita than the US? I guess they won’t need sick leave…………..
Italy has more than 10%, Germany has low numbers, it’s very different from country to country. In Norway most, if not all 14, has been older than 80.
When you are in a nursery home it is to late for paid sick leave, isn’t it? 😜
Norway has 0,4% death rate so far, Sweden 2,7%, Denmark 2%. Denmark and Norway have almost the same restrictions, The explanation may be that the population lives more dispersed in Norway?
Norwegians consume lots of wine, like myself. Danes drink mostly beer, and Swedes generally drink less alcohol. 😉
Here at home it’s only wine. I bought a six-pack with beer for Christmas, it’s still 5 left 🙂
I had a beer yesterday noon. I was enjoying the sunshine, although it was quite windy, on our balcony, drinking a FAXE and smoking a cigarette while studying the latest Corona news in the newspaper. 🎅
How do you feel today?
Ok. Just had some garlic and a glass of milk. It’s ups and downs. I think i’m suffering more from the isolation than the virus. 😑
Luckily I can work from home, and I’ve an office in the basement where I do all the work for the apartments here.
That’s nice. Just avoid public transport and go shop in smaller grocery stores and only once a week if possible. 😉
“…it might help that Sweden is a country of introverts, famous for distant relations between generations. Swedes did social distancing before it was cool”
That’s true 😀
I hope you and Alina are ok, too.
Yes, we are fine. Luckily we live very isolated and with forests where we can walk or take the bike without meeting too much people. But I hope Sweden soon will follow most other countries and put a lock down on schools and restaurants.
https://reason.com/2020/03/25/despite-coronavirus-sweden-refuses-to-shutter-businesses-and-limit-gatherings/
“More people will get infected, I always tell people the truth – more people will die,” Yemets said in the address.
Then this moron Yemets ought to take the lead and just die.
He was Minister under Yanukovitch as well…………………Zenny the pro-Russian gave him his old post back!
This sounds like geronticide, which was practiced by the Japanese, Inuits and others. Very sinister and cruel. This is the sort of trash that get high level jobs in the increasingly putler-like Zel regime? Not so fucking funny now is he?