Paraguay hospital's multi-million dollar operating room project stalled by gross improvisation

A significant investment in modular operating rooms and an oxygen plant at Paraguay's Institute of Social Security (IPS) hospital is stalled, with expensive medical equipment deteriorating due to severe planning oversights. The project, intended to benefit thousands of insured individuals, is now facing additional costs running into billions of guaraníes.

Equipment acquired nearly three years ago for the modular operating rooms and oxygen plant has yet to be installed. While some of it has been stored under questionable conditions, other components are caught in a web of technical improvisation that has halted the vital health infrastructure project. The situation points to a chain of administrative negligence spanning several management periods.

The equipment was initially awarded during Andrés Gubetich's tenure, largely paid for under Vicente Bataglia's administration, and received in August 2023 during Jorge Brítez's term. Brítez resigned on April 22, and Isaías Fretes assumed the presidency of IPS.

Juan José Sánchez, head of IPS's Maintenance Directorate, claimed that the air conditioning system components, including condensers, evaporators, filters, and lubricants, are "under guard" in wooden boxes within a shed. However, evidence suggests that some boxes show signs of deterioration from prolonged exposure to weather before being moved. IPS authorities could not specify how long the equipment was left outdoors or when it was moved to the current storage, a move that reportedly accelerated only after persistent media reports.

“

Lo que tenemos acá bajo resguardo es todo el sistema de climatización: condensadores, evaporadores, filtros y lubricantes. Todo el sistema interno y externo. Esto no puede estar a la intemperie, por eso está en cajas de madera bajo resguardo en este tinglado