A. Dulkys did not make public the 130-point COVID-19 management plan: ensures that the main objective has already been achieved

A. Dulkys presented the COVID-19 pandemic plan to the President on November 30.

“Today, during the meeting with the president, I had the opportunity to present the pandemic management plan, as I would see it,” said A. Dulkys during the post-meeting press conference.

“The plan has been really long: more than 130 different measures, but they have not yet been made public. The plan will be made public later, but some components are still missing, because it needs all the information to complete it, ”he said.

The candidate for the ministers assured that to manage COVID-19 it is necessary to unite all the structures that communicate about this virus, evaluate if data is missing and people analyzing it, provide reserves, even antigen tests.

“Vaccination should be a key part of our plan. And the percentage of vaccination that we have achieved should be the main indicator if we want to measure how well we are handling the crisis,” added A. Dulkys.

He promised to publish a separate document

Prime Minister-designate Ingrida Šimonytė, who presented the government program to Seimas on December 8, said that the plan for COIVD-19 management will be announced separately when the government program is approved.

„COVID-19 valdymui, tokiam taktiniam planui, [Vyriausybė] has prepared a separate document that <...> it will be published separately and in addition to the government program when the government program has already been approved, “he said.

A. Dulkys also confirmed that the plan will ship without waiting long.

We plan to present it in a separate document and that would be a matter of the first working days of the new Government.

“We plan to present it in a separate document and it would be a matter of the first working days of the new government. We should discuss it together with other members of the cabinet, finish filling it, because the vortex of events and the virus here involved us in that real vortex, ”he taught and briefly discussed the main parts of the plan.

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Arūnas Dulkys

“The first part of that plan would be on measures to help us consolidate the entire chain of pandemic management, because now there are some of those experts in all institutions. Apparently, their efforts must be consolidated so that the public receives a communication equitable.

We also need to address the now-hot situation in the network of treatment facilities, take stock and look at the situation we have with the data.

After that, one of the biggest challenges is arguably already vaccination for both the medical community and society at large. As we can see, this whole process will take a really significant time.

And the third part. You know, every crisis should have lessons for us and should give us good advice. Apparently, in the end we should evaluate the whole process that was happening now, draw conclusions from those lessons and maybe change the whole crisis management mechanism in Lithuania in general, review the legal acts and other things, ”said A. Dulkys.

More than once he discussed the objectives

Later, the Minister presented similar goals set out in the plan at a press conference on December 11: improve traceability of positive COVID-19 cases, increase the scope of testing, reduce the scope of infections.

A. Dulkys did not indicate by what means this should be achieved, although he noted that the experts would argue.

The opposition also lacked a comprehensive plan to overcome COVID-19.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be particularly useful to see in the Government program at least 10 key points of the 130 action plans mentioned, which have been mentioned on several occasions by the designated Minister of Health and that no one has seen so far. We are told, wait, there will be a separate COVID-19 plan, ”said Aušrinė Norkien the, the largest of the opposition“ peasants ”faction, during the Seimas session.

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Aušrinė Norkienė

15 minutes He wondered when a ministry-initiated pandemic response plan would be presented to the public and why it had not done so earlier.

The adviser to the Minister of Health, Aistė Šuksta, replied that the plan was presented to experts on December 18, its content is constantly changing, and the main objective of the plan, to manage the pandemic before the vaccine reaches Lithuania, has already been accomplished.

Today, the main objective of the plan, to manage the pandemic before the vaccine reaches Lithuania, has already been achieved.

“Health Minister Arūnas Dulkys presented the COVID-19 management strategy and action plan to the Council of Experts of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. After examining and evaluating the plan, the Advisory Council of Experts (ET) concluded that the situation in the country was constantly evolving. Today, the main objective of the plan, to manage the pandemic before the vaccine reaches Lithuania, has already been achieved, ”said the Minister’s Counselor.

The plan is constantly adjusted

Experts said that the plan of measures had been divided into separate parts, which would be adjusted to take into account the changing situation. The Ministry of Health would continue to implement a separate part of the plan in consultation with experts.

“The Council of Experts, following the separate parts of the plan, submits recommendations to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, which makes the appropriate decisions and, together with the ministries or other institutions, ensures their implementation,” added A. Šuksta in his reply. .

15 minutes He asked the advisers if the plan would be made public, if so, when and, if not, why not.

A. Šuksta clarified that some parts of the plan have already been made public, through expert recommendations and government decisions.

“In accordance with the individual parts of the Plan, the Council of Experts makes recommendations to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, which makes the appropriate decisions and, together with the ministries or other institutions, ensures its implementation, so parts of the plan are they make public, “said the Minister’s advisor.