Paraguay's IPS clinic faces crisis: Patients endure long waits, canceled appointments, and medication shortages

Patients seeking medical attention at the Clínica Boquerón, part of Paraguay's Institute of Social Security (IPS), are facing a crisis marked by long delays, appointment cancellations, and a critical shortage of essential medications. Individuals traveling from various parts of the Central Department are arriving only to encounter uncertainty and prolonged waits.

Contributors to the IPS have reported persistent issues, including a lack of high-cost medical supplies, unforeseen cancellations of appointments, and waits of up to five hours to connect with the central telephone service. One particularly distressing account comes from Nancy, a patient with diabetes and hypertension, who has been unable to consult her specialist for nearly a year due to the system's inefficiencies.

"It will be a year in October since I couldn't consult with my diabetologist. I had an appointment last month, I asked for permission from my work, and upon arriving at 6:30, they informed me the doctor would not be coming. They rescheduled me for this Tuesday, but on Monday, I received a message canceling the appointment again until September," the patient lamented. Nancy requires a medical authorization for a scheduled surgery and prescriptions for vital medications like sitagliptin and telmisartan, which are expensive on the private market.

“

It will be a year in October since I couldn't consult with my diabetologist. I had an appointment last month, I asked for permission from my work, and upon arriving at 6:30, they informed me the doctor would not be coming. They rescheduled me for this Tuesday, but on Monday, I received a message canceling the appointment again until September.

The system's inflexibility is another major concern. Patients report that if a medication is unavailable at their assigned clinic's pharmacy, they are not permitted to obtain it from the central pharmacy or other peripheral locations. This adds another layer of difficulty to accessing necessary treatments.

Beyond the clinic, securing an appointment is an ordeal. Sandra Gaona, who traveled from J. Augusto Saldívar, described the extreme difficulty in reaching the institutional telephone line, with waits of up to five hours. She noted that sometimes calls are disconnected after being answered, forcing callers to start the process over. While basic medications like omeprazole are available, patients consistently report that more complex and costly drugs are absent from the usual stock.

“

Calling the call center means waiting up to five hours. Sometimes they answer you and the call cuts off by itself, so you have to start all over again.