KIEV, May 17 – President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday dismissed Healthcare Minister Illia Yemets for “inefficient” work and “failure” to start planned reforms in the sector.

“He failed to organize the work of the ministry in a proper way to make sure that the ministry operates efficiently,” Yanukovych said during his trip to Mykolayiv. “The main thing is to carry out reforms that we have planned and that are extremely necessary.”

The dismissal is the first move to reshuffle the government after rumors had started to circulate earlier this week that a number of ministers may be sacked.

The developments come as opinion polls have indicated that Yanukovych’s popularity has been falling fast, threatening his Regions Party ahead of the October 2012 general election.

Yemets submitted his resignation on Friday following a heavy criticism from Yanukovych, according to people familiar with the situation.

Yemets’s spokesman on Monday did not confirm the existence of the resignation letter, and said the minister has taken the time off until the end of the week.

Oleksandr Anishchenko, a deputy healthcare minister, may be appointed to the vacant post, Volodymyr Karpuk, a lawmaker and a member of the healthcare committee in Parliament, said.

Anishchenko, 51, before his appointment in December 2010, worked for almost seven years as the head of the healthcare department at the Donetsk regional government.

“The forecast is that Anishchenko will be appointed as the minister,” Karpuk said.

Yemets was appointed to the post in December 2010 to replace Zinoviy Mytnyk.

The replacement came after a conflict within the government after the healthcare ministry had challenged the rest of the Cabinet by pursuing a heavily anti-tobacco agenda at an international conference last year. The finance ministry was concerned that restricting the tobacco industry would cost dearly to the budget.

Yanukovych said the new healthcare minister will have to able to start effective work of the ministry and to begin sweeping reform in the sector.

“We have to select a person for this position that would be able within a short period of time to put together a team that would work effectively and would go along the way of reforms and improve the situation in the healthcare sector,” Yanukovych said.

“We cannot wait for anybody. I bear responsibility,” Yanukovych said. “We have to move forward as we have promised to the people.” (tl/ez)