Serbia's Minister of Health Resigns

Milosavljevic, who has served as a government minister since 2002, announced his resignation at press conference in the Serbian government building on Friday.

He said that the media image of him and his Ministry was often more important than their actual performance, and added that he would remain a member of G17 Plus and would dedicate his time to his work as a professor and doctor.

Milosavljevic came under pressure to resign in May last year in the face of accusations that he offended his country's health system by choosing to go to Germany to have an operation on a herniated disc.

At the time, he said he had no plans to step down, explaining that he went to Germany for the operation because the surgery could not be done in Serbia.

He also promised to do everything he could "to introduce such an operation and other minimally invasive interventions in health institutions in Serbia as soon as possible".