Austria's health minister resigns, saying he's overworked
Austria’s health minister has announced his resignation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Austria s health minister announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying that he couldn't continue in the grueling job of helping lead the country's coronavirus response because of persistent personal health problems caused by overwork.
Rudolf Anschober, 60, had been health minister since January last year, when his Green party became the junior partner in a governing coalition under conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz
The soft-spoken minister has been one of the main faces of Austria's coronavirus response, which has gathered mixed reviews.
Anschober, who suffered a burnout nine years ago, said he had suffered two episodes of sudden fatigue in the past month, as well as high blood pressure and tinnitus.
He said he had “clearly overworked” and hadn't felt “completely fit” for several weeks. This wasn't a burnout, he added, but doctors advised him to take a break.
“In the most serious health crisis for decades, the republic needs a health minister who is 100% fit,” Anschober said. “I am not at the moment, and I won't be in the coming weeks if I don't pull the emergency brake.”
“This pandemic takes no breaks and so a health minister can't take a break either,” he added.
Austria was one of the first countries in western Europe to mandate the use of masks last year and was able to ease its first lockdown quickly.
Like several other European countries, it has struggled to find a consistent line in the pandemic since last fall. Austria bet heavily on opening up some sectors for people with negative tests, but hasn't been able to break a succession of lockdowns and currently has an infection rate significantly higher than neighboring Germany s.
“On the whole, I think we have done good work,” Anschober said. “In a pandemic, no one is free of mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. ... We were in uncharted territory.”
“My impression is that it isn't 15 months, more like 15 years,” he said of his time in office.