There are many areas in which the government authorities have had to redouble their attention, personnel and effort, and even so it is not enough to stop the advance of the epidemic, as President Lenín Moreno has accepted.
Precisely because the emergency is sanitary, the health area is the most affected. In Ecuador, as in other countries with a high rate of COVID-19 infections, the shortage of beds and medical supplies is compounded by the decrease in personnel. Treating and resident doctors, nurses and assistants had to be absent on leave because they were infected with COVID-19, because they had been in contact with infected people, because they were vulnerable people, and even because of lack of transportation to travel.
Although efforts are made to recruit personnel in the most agile way possible, the times cannot be compared to the urgency required. Another deficiency that is becoming evident in the health sector is the shortage of drugs for patients who need continuous medication. Efforts must also be made to ensure that patients with other ailments unrelated to the epidemic are not neglected. (OR)
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