IRISH PM TO SERVE AS DOCTOR
Time reports on a remarkable development out of Ireland. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has responded to a call from the Health Service Executive for inactive health professionals to join the fight against COVID-19. He will work one shift per week conducting phone assessments of people who have had COVID-19 exposure.
The 41-year-old Varadkar graduated from the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin in 2003 and completed an internship at KEM Hospital in Mumbai. He worked as a junior doctor and general practitioner before being appointed to significant roles within the Irish government. From 2011 to 2014 he was the Minister for Transport, Tourism, and Sport, then the Minister for Health from 2014 to 2016.
In 2017, Varadkar was elected leader of Fine Gael a prominent liberal-conservative political party. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed Taoiseach, a term meaning the Prime Minister and head of government. Notably, he is the nation’s first openly gay leader.
Vradakar has been praised for his response to the pandemic. His government made the difficult decision to cancel all St. Patrick’s Day parades and festivals in the country. On St. Patrick’s Night he spoke to the nation, in an event called A Ministerial Broadcast by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD. The speech was the most watched television event in Irish history. View it below.
To all the young people watching, I know you are probably a bit bored and fed up by now […] I hope you remember this time is tough on your parents as well. So I am asking you to ask your parents at least once a day what you can do to help them. Keep up your schoolwork, and call your grandparents.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar