Slow Changes in Public Health Sector

Public Health Sector Changes Slowly

In Ecuador, despite the state’s emergency on the public health sector, force since January, there still exist discomfort and needs.

Ministry of Public Health reported that the causes that led this state have not been overcome due to the magnitude of the interventions in the country, on health sector.

Problems persist in Hospitals such as Eugenio Espejo, Pablo Arturo Suarez and Baca Ortiz in Quito, because of the lack of specialized doctors, medicines and discomfort for the remodeling (still unfinished). At the moment they are serving just a 60% of the patients.

In Quito, Guayaquil and Portoviejo, there are more than 4,200 surgeries delayed, however, physicians continue to perform four-hour workday, while Government regulated it by eight hours a day.

The problem is the lack of space plus the deficit of staff (43%). In the Abel Gilbert and the Children’s Hospital of Guayaquil, the demand is 3000 patients per day in emergency and specialized care. Of these, 70% are patients of primary care, which could be addressed in hospitales del día, but due to the lack of infrastructure in those hospitals, patients have to go to 3rd level hospitals. (BG)

Source: Daily Expreso