International

Social leaders demand resignation of Peruvian Health Minister

Photo: Government of Peru

June 1 |

Social leaders in the northern Peruvian city of Piura today demanded the resignation of the Minister of Health, Rosa Gutiérrez, for what they consider to be poor management of the growing number of dengue cases.

Gutierrez’s resignation was demanded at a sit-in in the center of Piura, capital of the region of the same name, which has suffered 40 deaths and 31,000 dengue infections and similar levels of dengue in the neighboring region of Chiclayo and in the southern region of Ica.

Previously, the parliamentarian Edward Malaga, in a letter, asked the minister to resign because she does not have the necessary professional profile for the position, as she is a nephrologist previously dedicated to administrative positions and lacks epidemiological preparation.

One of the demonstrators in the protest called by the Colectivo Regional por la Salud y la Vida accused the minister of inaction and negligence, because in a previous visit, when there were 20 deaths, she said that the outbreak was under control and in decline.

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He added that Gutiérrez offended Piura by affirming that the population is to blame for the advance of dengue because they do not comply with the prohibition of having water tanks in their homes, where the Aedes Egypti mosquito, transmitter of the disease, reproduces on a large scale.

The minister is also criticized for claiming that funds have been transferred to the Regional Directorate of Piura to fight dengue, and therefore she is responsible for the situation.

The president of the Medical Federation of Piura (union of state service physicians), María Lupú, supported the protest and stated that the funds allocated are insufficient to hire more physicians and develop preventive actions.

In addition, she indicated that more doctors are needed, since the doctors dealing with dengue fever in Piura are insufficient and each one can attend up to 50 patients per day, which is detrimental to the quality of service.

The president of the Unified National Federation of Health Sector Workers, Wilder Farfán, also joined the demand for the resignation of the head of Health, due to her poor performance.

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According to official figures updated to date, 119,533 cases of dengue fever have been registered in Peru since the beginning of the year, including confirmed (60,710) and probable (58,823) cases, 118 patients have died and there are other deaths under investigation.

There are cases in almost all regions and the Ministry of Health maintains that these are only controllable outbreaks, although the Peruvian Medical Federation affirms that it is an epidemic.

Related Topics:Perú Peruvian Health Minister

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