– I apologize unreservedly to the next of kin. “What happened to our country during the pandemic was a terrible tragedy,” Hunt continued The BBC programme Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.
The publicly commissioned investigation into the handling of the corona pandemic in the UK established in its report on Thursday that the government mistakenly believed that the UK was among the best prepared in the world for a pandemic. The emergency system was set for influenza, not covid-19. This was a major contributor to the virus claiming over 200,000 lives in Great Britain.
Hunt, who served as health minister from 2012-2018, admitted that he had been part of the groupthink that led to people not thinking about other types of pandemics than influenza.
In addition, the Conservative politician urged the new Labor government to follow the recommendations of the 217-page report. Among other things, it is recommended that more external experts from outside the central state apparatus should be used, precisely to avoid the kind of groupthink that Hunt describes.
The document that was presented on Thursday is the first part of several. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that it is a top priority for his government to consider how to follow up on the recommendations.
#British #exhealth #minister #apologizes #failure #pandemic #preparations
2024-07-23 20:34:00
