Marija Jakubauskienė, Director of the VU Institute of Health Sciences, Appointed Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

Yesterday, after President Gitanas Nausėda signed a decree on the composition of the new Government, Assoc. Prof. Dr Marija Jakubauskienė, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (VU), was appointed Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania. The VU community is delighted with this significant recognition and wishes her the best of luck in her future endeavours.

“Assoc. Prof. Dr Marija Jakubauskienė has assumed the heavy responsibility of improving the state of the healthcare system. I wish her to pass the difficult tests of power successfully and to maintain a focus on constructive criticism. It is important that researchers take responsibility in public affairs as well and that decision-making is guided by intellect, rationality, and an understanding of the common good,” says Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas, Rector of VU.

Serving as the Minister, Assoc. Prof. Dr Jakubauskienė plans to focus on reducing patient queues, improving mental health nationwide, and increasing access to essential medicines.

“It is a great honour for the community of the Faculty of Medicine and the medical community in general that our colleague, Associate Professor Marija Jakubauskienė, has been appointed Minister of Health. Thanks to her consistent work, strategic thinking, and sincere attention to each person, Marija has earned the trust and respect of both students and staff at the Faculty of Medicine. Her research, expert, managerial, and pedagogical work is recognised both in Lithuania and internationally. I believe that the Minister’s position will enable her to gain even more momentum and open up broader horizons in her activities.

I wish Marija Jakubauskienė to successfully overcome all the challenges and shoulder responsibilities of her new position, which from now on will involve not only the academic community but also the entire Lithuanian healthcare sector,” says Prof. Dalius Jatužis, Dean of the VU Faculty of Medicine.