New Health Minister for 'political strength'

• Former PP Parliamentary Spokesperson is a party man, close to Soraya
• No further changes in Cabinet planned, says PP

New Minister (r.) and predecessor
at hand-over

MADRID -- Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy made the decision last Monday to include a party loyalist in his cabinet in substitution of Ana Mato, whose husband is under investigation in the Gürtel case and who resigned last week as a result. The new minister, Alfonso Alonso, was sworn in as Minister of Health, Social Policy and Equality  on Wednesday last. Alonso, 47, hails from Vitoria, Galicia, and is known to be politically close to Vice-President Soraya Sáenz de Santa María, whose power in the cabinet is thus increased. She was also instrumental in choosing the new Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá when Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón resigned last month. The new man at Health

Ebola in Spain: How Soraya took command

MADRID – We're very pleased to hear that senior nurse Teresa Romero, Europe’s first Ebola victim, has survived the first fortnight of having the virus diagnosed – there is a much better survival rate among those who do. While still in the special unit at the Carlos III hospital’s special Ebola unit, she has spoken over the phone to her husband and is as active as she can be. We wish her well and can but thank her for volunteering for a risky job. But this item is not about her; it is about how the Government has handled the emergency. Accused of mishandling procedures after the deaths of two missionaries, and Teresa being practically insulted by Health Councillor of the Community of Madrid Javier Rodriguez, for doing so (he has since apologised but has not resigned), the matter was handled by the Minister for Health, Ana Mato, who did not appear to do a particularly good job – then Soraya Sáenz de Santa María Antón took over.