Robert Kennedy Jr. takes oath as Secretary of Health

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Thursday as President Trump's Health Secretary, following a tight vote in the Senate.

The American Senate approved Mr. Kennedy Jr's candidacy earlier Thursday for the post of Secretary of Health and Human Services.

He received 52 votes for and 48 against. Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against him, uniting votes with the 47 Democrats who opposed Mr. Kennedy's candidacy.

He has pledged to protect existing vaccine programmes as he made efforts to secure the votes of the reluctant senators.

It is now expected to oversee many high profile agencies, including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

After Mr. Kennedy took his oath Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order to establish a commission called MAHA, named after the slogan “to make America healthy again”. (Make America Health Again).

As White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavet announced about the American network Fox News) he will direct the new Health Secretary “investigates the crisis with chronic diseases that are tormenting our country”.

Mr. Kennedy, 71, a lawyer's profession on environmental issues has long planted doubts about the security and efficiency of vaccines that have helped curb disease and prevented millions of deaths for decades.

He will now head the government department that has a budget of over $3 trillion. Also under the competence of the Health Department are the media and the Medicaid programmes offering health insurance for over 140 million Americans and the National Institute of Health.

Mr. Kennedy said he wants to work to end chronic diseases and any connection between employees of the drug regulatory agency and the drug industry. It will also require agencies offering water supplies to America to remove the fluor from the water. Opposers said he is not eligible for the job because of his prominent role in the anti vaccine movement.

His path to confirmation was fraught with difficulty and did not always seem to have the necessary votes among the republics. He had to face his past as a member of the Democratic Party, his earlier views in support of abortion, as well as his attitude towards vaccines. Several prominent members of his family, including his cousin Caroline Kennedy, also publicly asked him not to confirm.

Eventually, the Senate republics gave up objections as they have for each appointed President Trump to date.

After voting in the Senate, Stephen Ubl, head of the American pharmaceutical research and producers, the main organisation of industry lobbies said that drug producers look forward to working with Trump administration to address the burden of chronic diseases, improve health results and make health care more affordable for Americans, he said in a statement. VOA