CARACAS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Monday named Carlos Humberto Alvarado Gonzalez as the country's new Minister of Health.

"I have named to this task a university professor, a medical physiatrist, deeply humanist. Carlos Alvarado is our new Minister of Health," wrote Maduro on Twitter.

On June 14, Maduro announced a "partial and deep" renewal of his cabinet, which included the naming of 12 new ministers.

Carlos Alvarado will replace Luis Salerfi Lopez Chejade, who had held the post since May 2017.

The president said Alvarado had been named "to progress with an integrated healthcare system, which includes all from primary care to the distribution of medicine to the population."

Previously, Alvarado was vice-minister of integrated healthcare and dean of the "Hugo Chavez Frias" University of Health Sciences.

The Venezuelan healthcare system is undergoing a tough situation due to a scarcity of drugs. This has led to widespread protests and an indefinite strike from Monday by nursing staff, who demand increased pay and better working conditions.