Azuay Health Observatory Challenges Minister’s Explanation of Medicine Shortages

The Observatorio de la Salud del Azuay has challenged the health minister’s explanation for shortages of medicines used in chronic-care treatment. José María Egas, the observatory’s representative, criticized comments by Health Minister Juan Carlos Aveiga reported after a September 4, 2026 interview with Teleamazonas.

The minister had been asked why hospitals have struggled to keep medicine availability above 88 percent. His response was: “Hay gente que con mucha pena lo digo recibe su receta para medicación crónica por 6 meses y venden 4 meses porque necesitan dinero.”

Egas rejected that explanation, saying: “Totalmente desatinada la opinión del ministro de Salud. Nosotros hemos estado en contacto con usuarios en varios sitios en donde se entrega medicación”.

The observatory’s account

Egas pointed to users of the Seguro Social Campesino, mainly older adults with hypertension and other chronic diseases. He said some do not receive the specific medicine they need and have to turn to alternatives.

He also referred to patients with catastrophic and autoimmune diseases who require periodic treatment. Some depend on biological medicines that must be administered according to specific schedules and conditions. The article says their delivery can be affected by problems in procurement processes.

That distinction matters for readers trying to understand the story. The minister’s statement is an explanation attributed to him. The observatory’s response is a competing account based on its contact with users. The fetched report does not independently verify the allegation that patients resell medicine.

The continuity-of-care concern

Egas said that selling medicine intended for chronic or catastrophic conditions could cause a patient to interrupt treatment and face health consequences. He did not rule out the possibility of corruption in distribution, but said the Ministry of Health should have mechanisms to identify and follow those cases.

His proposed response is an information system that records which patients receive medication, how much they receive, and how often it is delivered.

The proposal is not described as an operating system already available to patients. The source also does not give a facility-by-facility shortage table or a date for implementation. For residents using Ecuador’s public health system, the immediate takeaway is to treat medicine availability as a live service issue and keep the exact prescription, delivery, and follow-up details documented when care depends on a regular supply.

Source: El Mercurio