Brazil's Lula swaps health minister, taps Padilha for the role

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dismissed Nisia Trindade as health minister, tapping Alexandre Padilha for the job, a statement from the presidential palace said on Tuesday.

Padilha, who is currently Lula's institutional relations minister, will be sworn in during a ceremony expected to take place on March 6, the statement added.

The swap marks the second change in Lula's cabinet this year, after replacing the presidential head of communications in January amid a dip in approval of the Lula administration.

The change comes as Lula was also mulling the possibility of tapping the head of his Workers Party, Gleisi Hoffmann, as institutional relations minister, Reuters reported on Monday, citing sources.