'Doctor-turned' Irish Prime Minister to Support COVID-19 Field Operations Once a Week

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Leo Varadkar, the Prime Minister of Ireland and a former doctor, has decided to support medical work once a week in response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Euro News reported on the 5th (local time).

According to the report, the Irish Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that as the COVID-19 situation continues, Prime Minister Varadkar will assist with related work once a week going forward. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said, "Many of his family and friends also work in the healthcare field," adding, "He wanted to help even in small ways."

Varadkar, who worked as a doctor for seven years in the past, quit medical work in 2013 before becoming a politician but re-registered as a doctor last month. Varadkar's parents are a doctor from India and a nurse from Ireland, respectively, and his partner, Matthew Brett, also works as a surgeon at a hospital in Dublin.

Euro News described him as "the first European Union (EU) leader to step onto the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic." Earlier, a media outlet reported that Varadkar is expected to assist with citizens' medical phone consultations every Sunday.

Earlier, Simon Harris, Ireland's Minister of Health, called for recruitment of healthcare service personnel to respond to COVID-19, saying, "The nation needs you." As a result, the Health Service Executive (HSE) received over 70,000 responses, encouraging thousands of qualified healthcare professionals to return to the field.