Martin van Rijn, the former Labour party health secretary, has been appointed the Minister for Medical Care on a temporary basis for 3 months.

“He has years of experience in healthcare and knows the Ministry well,” Mark Rutte said on Twitter.

Van Rijn takes over from Bruno Bruins, who resigned after collapsing from exhaustion during a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.

The decision has received widespread praise across Dutch politics, the Euronews writes.

Labour party leader Lodewijk Asscher tweeted his praise for “everyone who steps forward during this difficult time”.

“If there is a national health crisis, you must help where you can”.

Martin van Rijn zal voor de duur van 3 maanden als tijdelijk minister voor Medische Zorg aantreden. Hij doet dit op verzoek van het kabinet en op persoonlijke titel. Hij heeft jarenlange ervaring in de zorg en kent @MinVWS goed.

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) March 20, 2020