400 tons of medical supplies arrived in Ecuador

The first 400 tons of medical supplies purchased by the Government arrived in the country this Tuesday, June 23, 2020. President Lenín Moreno and the Minister of Health, Juan Carlos Zevallos , received the shipment that will be destined for the doctors who fight in the first health emergency line .

400 tons of medical supplies arrived in Ecuador

The purchase was made thanks to financing provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which since the beginning of the health crisis has contributed with $ 700 million to face the pandemic. The Government purchased a total of 865 tons of protective equipment on the sales platform of the World Health Organization (WHO).

“This is going to allow that through the masks, facial protectors and specialized gowns serve our doctors, nurses and assistants,” said Moreno. The President recalled that they will continue to import these inputs and that health is a priority in their administration.

The representative of the IDB in Ecuador, Fernando Quevedo , clarified that the purchase process was carried out with total transparency and without diversion of public funds, this in the context of complaints about corruption in the acquisition of medical supplies with alleged overpricing in public institutions and of Social Security.

The total cost of the investment was  $ 4,440,492 , an amount from IDB and Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) funds. This item is divided into $ 3,250,000 from the international organization and $ 1,190,492 from the IESS for its health houses. These supplies will be destined to public hospitals specialized in treating patients infected with covid-19 .

“No effort has been spared to invest in what is needed,” said Minister Zevallos. The doctor added that the purchase guarantees protection for health personnel who work directly with critically ill carriers of the virus and who need ventilators to breathe.

The Ecuadorian Social Security Institute is also expected to purchase face shields, surgical masks, KN95 masks, and gowns for an estimated value of $ 1,303,395 million.

As of this Tuesday, in Ecuador there have been 51,643 positive cases of coronavirus and 4,274 deceased people. However, the discarded cases reached 71,784 and the recovered patients 5,120. (I)

https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/3/toneladas-insumos-medicos-ecuador-lenin