Peru's Comptroller General's Office has warned of a multi-million sole loss as more than 52 million disposable syringes face expiration in government warehouses.
The medical devices, valued at more than S/ 49.9 million, are stored at the National Center for Supply of Strategic Health Resources (Cenares) and face imminent expiration between February and December 2027.
The unused stockpile, weighing approximately 339.7 tonnes and occupying 2,535 cubic metres, currently takes up nearly 30 percent of the total physical space available in the Cenares warehouse. The oversight body noted that keeping the devices in storage has generated an unnecessary annual expenditure of more than S/ 1.7 million.
Cenares serves as Peru's state agency responsible for acquiring, storing, and distributing strategic medical supplies across the national healthcare system. The Comptroller General's Office acts as the country's supreme audit institution, tasked with overseeing public spending and government resources.
Failed donations and planned destruction
The retractable-needle disposable syringes were originally purchased during the Covid-19 pandemic and distributed to regional governments and healthcare facilities. However, low public demand caused a large portion of the stock to return to the central warehouse.
In 2025, Cenares evaluated donating the surplus syringes to other countries. The proposal failed to move forward because potential recipient nations lacked the budget needed to pay for transport, customs clearance, and associated fees.
An internal report from July 2026 concluded that the most viable option is to classify the syringes as surplus write-offs and destroy the stock. Documentation reviewed by auditors indicates that destroying the devices will require an additional estimated expenditure of S/ 679,400.
Impounded Covid-19 rapid tests
The audit by the Comptroller General's Office also identified more than 1.5 million expired Covid-19 rapid tests, valued at over S/ 10 million, stored at the same facility.
The test kits expired in November 2023 and were officially written off a year later. However, officials cannot dispose of them because they remain impounded as evidence in an investigation led by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
Stored in 1,538 boxes, the tests weigh 19.9 tonnes and occupy nearly 149 cubic metres inside the warehouse for non-refrigerated products. Custody of the expired tests costs about S/ 12,036 per month, with total storage expenses reaching S/ 674,071.44 by July 2026.
