Reactions from the PNL and the USR after Rogobete announced on Facebook that he had mobilized 6 hospitals for the plane turned back from the road: “I think it's better to be prepared” vs “What does the Ministry of Health have to do with the plane that was over Bucharest?”
Alexandru Rogobete Photo: Inquam Photos – George Călin
The PSD Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, was criticized in the public space, including by the representatives of some airlines, because he panicked the population by the way he communicated in the case of the plane turned back from the road due to a technical problem. The minister claims that he acted correctly. His governing colleagues, from the PNL, however, have a more nuanced opinion.
Minister Rogobete is criticized not for the fact that he organized the hospitals for a possible emergency situation, but for how he communicated publicly about that situation that was still ongoing and could thus create panic.
“Regarding this, in general I think it's better to be prepared than to be found unprepared. We are in the country where every school year catches us by surprise that school starts. Or every winter, by the way, look at why it was these days or these weeks in Bucharest, it snows again. In general, I think it's good to be more prepared”, was the comment made in the Parliament, on Monday, by USR senator Ștefan Pălărie.
Plane with almost 200 people on board, returned shortly after departure from Otopeni Airport due to technical problems. After an hour of overflight to burn fuel, the plane landed safely
“Now, if there was an excel of zeal or there was some kind of reaction rather on Facebook, including in which valuable state resources were blocked or were allocated without a legal basis, that is a matter that I cannot comment on, other institutions have to decide”, the senator added, answering HotNews' question about how USR sees the minister's position in the case of the plane returned from the road due to a pressurization problem.
After the Minister of Health Rogobete panicked people on Facebook by announcing the mobilization of 6 hospitals for a plane that returned to Otopeni, we can announce that Rogobete will no longer be a minister. And that we will all die. Both not now, at some point
PNL: “I recommend all colleagues to talk only about what they have in coordination”
The PNL President of the Senate, Mircea Abrudean, said, also on Monday, at the Parliament, that he does not understand “what connection the Ministry of Health has with the plane that was over Bucharest”. “I don't understand what the connection is (n. ed.: between the Ministry of Health and the plane that made an emergency landing in Bucharest), really.”
Asked by HotNews if he believes that the Minister of Health should not have made this announcement, Abrudean said: “It is the minister's personal decision. I think that everyone should talk about what they care about, in general.”
“I avoid and recommend to all my colleagues to talk only about what they have in coordination, under their command, and not to comment on other topics because we only create panic sometimes and I don't think it's healthy”, explained Mircea Abrudean.
The Association of Romanian Aviation Companies after Minister Rogobete's “breaking news” posts in the case of the HiSky plane: “Unacceptable”
Alexandru Rogobete: “We were talking about the possibility of multiple victims”
The Minister of Health had a reaction on Sunday evening after being criticized for the way he communicated on the subject of the HiSky plane, which returned to Otopeni Airport on Sunday after the activation of a pressurization sensor in the cabin was reported, and claimed that “it is completely absurd” to be accused of creating “panic”.
The official's reaction came after the Association of Romanian Airlines, which represents, among others, companies such as HiSky and Tarom, said it was “unacceptable for a Government representative to post breaking news messages listing the number of ambulances and intensive care units prepared, suggesting the imminence of a disaster”, in the event of a “minor technical incident” that triggered “a standard safety procedure”.
Alexandru Rogobete explained that “there were no other certain data” when he was “informed that a plane with 180 passengers on board has depressurized and is returning to Otopeni”, apart from the fact that “the aircraft must fly over to reduce its weight before landing”.
“My role, as Minister of Health, is not to react after something serious happens. My role is to be prepared before. In a negative scenario, I was talking about the possibility of multiple victims. And multiple victims are not treated on the track. They are treated in hospitals. Hospitals that, at the moment, are operating with an occupancy rate of over 90%. This means organization and coordination in time, not improvisation”, the minister said, on Sunday evening, in a Facebook post.
Minister Rogobete says he acted well in the case of the HiSky plane announcements on Facebook: “This means organizing and coordinating ahead of time, not improvisation. This means responsibility”
