Paraguay's Social Security head visits Bishop Medina in hospital

Bishop Mario Melanio Medina, 86, is currently hospitalized at the IPS Geriatric Hospital due to a respiratory infection and high blood pressure. According to the bishop of his diocese, Osmar López, Medina was admitted for a delicate condition stemming from an unspecified infection that caused severe coughing and fever.

Medina, the emeritus bishop of the San Juan Bautista diocese, is conscious and lucid, receiving treatment with antibiotics. Isaías Fretes, president of the Social Security Institute (IPS), visited Medina alongside board member Jimmy Jiménez. Fretes shared a photo of their visit on Instagram, reporting that Medina is stable and responding well to treatment.

Fretes conveyed the well wishes of the entire IPS community to Medina and thanked the medical staff for their dedicated care. Medina is a prominent human rights defender who was active during the Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship. He was often associated with social movements and peasant marches, frequently intervening during periods of repression.