D66 member Ernst Kuipers will immediately step down as outgoing Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. He reported this in an email on Wednesday letter which he shares on X. He is leaving the cabinet because he is going to fulfill “a position abroad” that is “linked to a certain starting period.” It is unclear what that new job is.
The shifts within the outgoing cabinet follow each other in rapid succession: Kuipers is the third D66 minister to leave the cabinet in a short time. On Monday, Sigrid Kaag resigned as Minister of Finance, while Gunay Uslu resigned from her position as State Secretary for Culture and Media.
For the time being, outgoing Minister for Long-term Care Conny Helder (VVD) will take over Kuipers' duties. Earlier on Wednesday it was announced that Steven van Weyenberg and Fleur Gräper (both D66) will take over Kaag and Uslu's duties.
Kuipers was sworn in as Minister of Health in January 2022, which marked his immediate entry into national politics. He was the first (former) doctor to lead the ministry in twenty years. He took over from Hugo de Jonge (CDA) during the corona crisis, at a time of major restrictions on freedom. As an outsider, Kuipers was in favor of faster measures against corona, but as a minister he quickly saw room for phasing out measures. From then on, his job became less and less about managing the pandemic.
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