Meeting at Cartes' home: Leite reveals what was discussed

A meeting at the home of Horacio Cartes has revived speculation about tensions between the former president's political faction and the administration of President Santiago Peña. Senator Gustavo Leite, who attended the gathering, said Cartes had no connection to Ueno and could not be held responsible for how others managed it.

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It is clear that Cartes has nothing to do with Ueno and cannot be held responsible for what others manage.

The meeting brought together leading figures from the Colorado Party leadership as the Senate considered a request for information from the Central Bank of Paraguay about Ueno Bank, an institution linked to Peña. At the same time, criticism of public-health management was growing after a doctors' strike and the mass resignation of specialist physicians.

Leite said the central issue at Cartes' residence was the precarious supply situation in state hospitals. He said the Colorado Party, as the governing party, had to address the needs of Paraguayans who depend on the state for healthcare and medicines.

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We are the Colorado Party, we are the governing party. Many people in Paraguay need the state to assist them with their health, especially medicines, and we will work on that.

He added that he was working with former health ministers and former directors of the National Cancer Institute to determine how much money the system actually needs. In his view, continuing to inject funds without knowing the required amount would not produce results. The health crisis has also moved onto the parliamentary agenda, with discussion of a special Senate commission to address the doctors' resignations.

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If we keep putting in money without knowing how much is needed, there will be no results.