One arrested and two pharmacies closed in ministerial operation at Guayaquil hospitals
The ministries of health and interior inspected public hospitals in Guayaquil, finding public health system medicines being sold illegally outside the centres.
Joint operation detects illegal sale of public medicines in Guayaquil
One arrested, two pharmacies closed and public health system medicines found in external businesses are the initial results of the control operation carried out on Friday by the ministries of health and interior at Guayaquil hospitals, according to reporting from eluniverso.com.
The inspections began at the Dr. Abel Gilbert Pontón Speciality Hospital and continued at the Matilde Hidalgo de Procel Specialised Hospital, located in the southern Guasmo neighbourhood.
In the surroundings of the Abel Gilbert Hospital, the control teams closed two pharmacies where they found expired medicines, medicines in poor condition and pharmaceuticals belonging to the public health network, reported interior minister John Reimberg.
At the Matilde Hidalgo de Procel Hospital, the authorities identified an establishment where, according to Reimberg, public health system medicines and products with allegedly altered expiry dates were being traded. The person attending the premises was arrested.
"We are proceeding to take an inventory; then it will be closed and the person who was attending there will be arrested, because they are threatening the health of Ecuadorians," the minister stated.
Reimberg added that, upon perceiving the presence of the authorities, the person in charge of the premises attempted to prevent the control teams from entering. "The woman tried to prevent us from entering and was conditioning our access. The police acted immediately and we were able to enter," he affirmed.
The seized medicines will be subjected to a traceability process to establish which hospital or warehouse they came from and determine possible responsibilities. "This medicine will be traced. All of this is to determine which warehouse it came from, which hospital it came from and who dispatched it, because that information exists," Reimberg assured.
The minister announced that teams from the National Police's Intelligence and Investigation units will remain deployed at the hospitals to gather information about alleged irregular activities. The inspections will continue at other healthcare facilities as part of a joint intervention with the Ministry of Health and the National Agency for Health Regulation, Control and Surveillance (Arcsa).
Health minister Juan Carlos Aveiga noted that during the rounds they also collected concerns from patients about medicine supplies and the quality of medical care. "We are taking immediate action regarding everything we have found at this time. We are listening to the people and we want to solve the problem," he stated.
Aveiga also confirmed that problems were verified in the air conditioning system in certain areas of the hospital. "There is evidence that there are certain air conditioning problems in some areas and we are proceeding immediately to carry out the necessary corrective measures," he stated.
Source: Google News EC — Guayaquil