Ecuador government meets kidney and cystic fibrosis patient representatives

Ecuador’s Health Ministry met representatives of kidney disease and cystic fibrosis patients in Quito to address concerns about medicines, medical supplies and continuity of care.

The meetings took place on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at the Government Platform for Social Development under President Daniel Noboa’s administration. The ministry said the discussions produced commitments on the needs raised by patients.

A delegation led by Vladimir Díaz, undersecretary for health operations and logistics, met representatives of the Ecuadorian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. They discussed updating the Clinical Care Guide, reviewing the National Basic Medicines List and coordinating an official visit to Ecuador by Hossein Sadeghi, director of Columbia University’s Cystic Fibrosis Center in New York.

The ministry said the participants reached agreements and established a work agenda. Díaz said the ministry would continue the discussions the following day to address other issues and advance concrete actions.

In a separate meeting, kidney patient representative Gabriela Álvaro raised the need to guarantee the continuity and quality of dialysis. She also presented cases involving alleged improper charges for medical supplies used to monitor people with chronic kidney disease.

Officials Ana Gutiérrez and Karina Meza agreed to examine cases in which patients’ rights to access care may have been breached. They also agreed to assess the feasibility of creating an online platform specifically for chronic kidney patients, allowing them to submit cases, complaints and reports for response and follow-up.

The Health Ministry said it would maintain an open-door policy for citizens, patients, relatives and organizations and would monitor the commitments made during the meetings.

“

There was good consensus with the foundation’s spokespersons and representatives. Tomorrow, Thursday, September 3, we will continue with the second meeting to address issues of interest and advance concrete actions.