The man who was named to be the next chief health officer for Queensland has now declined the job. Health Minister Yvette D’Ath advised that for personal reasons Dr Krispin Hajkowicz will not begin the job on Monday.
Current Deputy Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken will now act in the role until a permanent replacement is appointed.
Dr Hajkowicz’s was appointed in the position earlier in October to replace Queensland’s current Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, who is to be sworn in as the new Queensland Governor on Monday.
No one is sure why Dr Hajkowicz has declined the position and Dr Hajkowicz himself has not released a statement. Most Chief Health Officers across the nation have been under a large amount of pressure advising premiers to implement strict lockdown rules, vaccine mandates and border closures. This has resulted in the loss of many businesses and careers for people, separation of families and social isolation for many. The harsh lockdowns and rules have resulted in hundreds of thousands of Australians protesting at different times, whilst others claim the rules and mandates are a success in preventing higher number of infections and deaths. What is certain is that a major divide has occurred among people over what many would describe as the harshest lockdown’s in the world.
It certainly is not a job for the faint-hearted, whoever takes over will be under an enormous amount of pressure.
