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Coronel Oviedo IPS faces constant medication shortages
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Health & Science

Coronel Oviedo IPS faces constant medication shortages

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Patients at the Social Security Institute (IPS) in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, are reporting a persistent shortage of essential medications, forcing them to purchase treatments privately.
  • Key medications like metformin for diabetes and telmisartan for hypertension are currently unavailable at the local IPS facility.
  • While the hospital receives medication supplies roughly every 15 days, the quantities are often insufficient, running out within 48 hours, leading to critical situations for patients reliant on continuous treatment.

Patients at the Social Security Institute (IPS) in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, are facing a critical and constant shortage of essential medications. This persistent lack of supply is forcing individuals to seek and purchase their prescribed treatments from private pharmacies, adding a significant financial burden to their healthcare.

Among the most urgently needed medications currently unavailable are metformin, a crucial drug for managing type 2 diabetes, and telmisartan, used to treat high blood pressure. These are not minor inconveniences but essential components of ongoing treatment plans for many patients.

Sources within the IPS facility in Coronel Oviedo indicate that medication deliveries from the institution's Health Park occur approximately every 15 days. However, the volume of these deliveries is frequently inadequate to meet the demand. Reports suggest that the supplied medications often deplete within 48 hours of arrival, leaving many patients without access to their necessary treatments.

In response to these shortages, hospital staff reportedly go to great lengths to procure medications from Asunción when available. Oscar Peralta, a relative of an insured patient, voiced strong criticism, stating, "There is nothing in the hospital, and many have no choice but to go to pharmacies to buy the medications." He highlighted the significant cost burden this places on families who require continuous treatment for chronic conditions, questioning the system's efficacy despite contributions from insured individuals and employers.

There is nothing in the hospital, and many have no choice but to go to pharmacies to buy the medications.

— Oscar PeraltaA relative of an insured patient described the critical lack of medications at the Coronel Oviedo IPS facility.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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