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Cancer patients urge Santiago Peña to save public healthcare
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Cancer patients urge Santiago Peña to save public healthcare

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Paraguay’s Association of Cancer Patients and Relatives urged President Santiago Peña to intervene as specialist doctors leave the public health system.
  • APACFA said hospitals cannot serve patients without qualified professionals, medicines and medical supplies, criticizing the government’s focus on infrastructure projects.
  • The group called for talks with health unions and improved working conditions to slow the movement of specialists to private-sector jobs or abroad.

Paraguay’s cancer patients say new hospital buildings mean little if the doctors who know their cases are leaving and essential medicines remain unavailable.

The Association of Cancer Patients and Relatives, known as APACFA, addressed an urgent appeal directly to President Santiago Peña. Under the slogan “Health is in mourning,” the group said public healthcare had reached a low point and demanded immediate executive action to halt the mass resignation of medical specialists.

APACFA said the departures particularly harm patients who rely on the state network. The specialists understand their medical records and follow the progression of their illnesses, making their loss more than a staffing problem for hospitals and a direct blow to vulnerable families.

Health is in mourning

— APACFAThe slogan used in the patients’ appeal about the state of Paraguay’s public healthcare system.

The association also challenged the government’s emphasis on major infrastructure projects. “Inaugurating works is not enough if we do not have professionals to care for us. Announcing investments is not enough if medicines and specialists are missing,” it said.

APACFA urged Peña to take firm leadership, immediately convene health-sector unions, hear their workplace demands and agree on dignified conditions. It said those measures were needed to stop trained personnel from moving to the private sector or leaving the country.

Inaugurating works is not enough if we do not have professionals to care for us. Announcing investments is not enough if medicines and specialists are missing.

— APACFAThe association’s criticism of infrastructure spending amid shortages of staff and medicines.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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