Guillermo Lasso’s presidential term would end in early December, according to calendars for the second round of early elections. In the middle of the election period, demands for the payment of state debts to national entities warn of the threat of services.

On September 21, the León Becerra Hospital announced that the government is keeping a debt of $2.7 million. Ricardo Koenig, president of Benemérita Sociedad Protectora de la Infancia, which runs the health center, said that as a result workers were unpaid for eight months and suppliers were not met for more than a year.

What is happening is serious, to the extent that the closure of certain services of this hospital, which operates in the south of Guayaquil, is being analyzed. It is known that due to the lack of supplies, patients are already being referred to other centers. The government’s debts to León Becerra have been dragging on since 2018. The Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) owes about $2 million, and the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) about $700,000.

IESS director Diego Salgado is also demanding payments from the regime. In the letter, he points out that from January 2012 to June 2023, the state owes IESS 4,936.1 million dollars for 40% of the state contribution, and 4,830 million dollars for health care.

The representative of the employers in front of the IESS Management Board specified that these debts put the institute at risk of non-payment of pensions to retirees, impact on the reserves of the pension institute and delay in payments to external providers.

In both cases there is damage to health. A hospital that cannot provide care is not fulfilling its constitutional obligations to guarantee health, which is the state’s obligation under the Magna Carta.

It is essential that there is a commitment by the regime to fulfill its obligations, apart from adding to old debts. Ecuadorians demand agile and timely solutions, not excuses or justifications. (OR)