Jesús Sancho Rof facts for kids

Jesús Sancho Rof in 1981

Jesús Sancho Rof (born December 16, 1940) is a Spanish professor and politician from Madrid. He is best known for serving as a government minister in Spain during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Before his political career, he earned a doctorate in Physical Sciences and worked as a university professor.

Early Career in Media and Politics

In the years before Spain became a full democracy, Sancho Rof was the head of Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), which is Spain's national public radio and television company.

When Spain transitioned to a democracy, he became involved in politics. He started a political group that later joined a larger party called the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). In the 1977 Spanish general election, he was elected to Spain's parliament as a representative for the province of Pontevedra. He was re-elected in later elections with a different party, the People's Alliance.

Serving as a Government Minister

As a member of the UCD party, Sancho Rof held important government jobs, known as ministries, under two different prime ministers.

Minister of Public Works

In 1979, he was appointed Minister of Public Works and Urbanism. In this role, he was in charge of major building projects and city planning. He promised to build one million new affordable homes for people. He also started a plan to replace poor-quality housing with better single-family homes. Sancho Rof often spoke about the importance of protecting the environment while allowing cities to grow.

Minister of Health and a Major Controversy

In 1981, under a new prime minister, Sancho Rof became the Minister of Labor, Health, and Social Security. During his time as health minister, Spain faced a serious health crisis known as the toxic oil syndrome. Many people became very ill.

Sancho Rof made public statements about the illness that were seen as controversial. He suggested the illness was not very serious, comparing it to the flu. He said it was caused by a "little bug" that scientists had almost identified. Many people felt he was not taking the crisis seriously enough. Because of the public reaction to his comments, he had to leave his position as minister.

See also

In Spanish: Jesús Sancho Rof para niños