Magnus Johannes Heunicke (born 28 January 1975 in Næstved) is a Danish journalist and politician who serves as a member of the Folketing for the Social Democrats political party. He was the Minister of Health from 2019 to 2022, and minister of elderly affairs from 2019 to 2021.

Background

He was born in Næstved to former mayor Henning Jensen and school teacher Inger Heunicke, and is married to Nina Groes. Heunicke has an education as a journalist, graduating from

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

journalist high school in 2002 and later working for DR in the period 2001-2005. Heunicke left the field of journalism in 2005 to pursue a parliamentary career. Before starting his education as a journalist, Heunicke graduated from Næstved gymnasium in Næstved, in 1995.

Political career

Heunicke was first elected member of Folketinget for the Social Democrats in the

2005 Danish general election General elections were held in Denmark on 8 February 2005.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p525 Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's Venstre remained the largest party in the Folketing and his go ...

, and reelected in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. In 2014 he was appointed Minister for Transport, after Pia Olsen Dyhr. He was reelected again in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Minister of Health (2019-2022)

Heunicke was appointed Minister for Health and Elderly Affairs in the Frederiksen Cabinet from 27 June 2019. Together with Frederiksen cabinet, he led the Danish government's response to the contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, COVID-19 vaccines reached the country and began to the administrated. From January 2021, he was only Minister of Health. In the summer of 2021, he also led the government’s response to a strike among more than 6,000 nurses over pay.Stine Jacobsen (27 August 2021)
Danish government intervenes to end nurses strike
'' Reuters''.

External links

References

1975 births Living people People from Næstved Municipality Social Democrats (Denmark) politicians Government ministers of Denmark Danish Health Ministers Members of the Folketing 2005–2007 Members of the Folketing 2007–2011 Members of the Folketing 2011–2015 Members of the Folketing 2015–2019 Members of the Folketing 2019–2022 Members of the Folketing 2022–2026 Transport ministers of Denmark {{Denmark-bio-stub