February 27, 2023, 20:04 PM
February 27, 2023, 20:04 PM
The struggle to demonstrate which level of the State resolves the health problems that are the competences of the other has unleashed a new mutual attack between the Ministry of Health and the Departmental Secretariat of Health. Although the disagreements have been evident since they began functions, the death of a child who was stung by a scorpion, and the steps to provide the antidotehave been the reason for harsh statements from both sides.
Both the Ministry and the Santa Cruz Governorate they claim to have got the antidote serum from brazilwhose first dose was administered to the little one who, due to his medical history, did not resist and died this Monday.
“I heard the Minister of Health saying that they made all the arrangements; he has no blood on his face! I say so because I have documents that (prove that) it was us (the ones who got it) -being exclusive obligation of the Ministry get this serum that is not available in Bolivia. Yesterday (Sunday) my whole team was working until 4:30 in the morning, getting this medicine. and with the good relationship we have with the Brazilian peers, through the secretariat, it was achieved. And we have the proofs (shows documentation) and You have the shamelessness, the Minister, to say that he made the management. Here are the tests, the reception, that we had to send mobilities to bring this serum ”, said Edil Toledo, departmental secretary of Health, at a press conference.
But the Ministry of Health also has its version:
“After learning about this need, the Ministry of Health, yesterday (Sunday) -they (the Santa Cruz Governorate) say they have worked 24 hours to get this medicine-, when at 1:00 p.m. on February 26 , yesterday, we have contacted the doctor (…) Marco Vigilato, national coordinator of Zoonosis of Panaftosa of Brazil to request this antiscorpion serum for the 4-year-old patient stung by a scorpion,” said Jeyson Auza, Minister of Health, at a press conference.
Auza pointed out that his office made several calls and that they have all the documentation that proves his efforts, and that, at 3:04 p.m., the existence of the serum was confirmed in the Corumbá hospital and that almost half An hour later they contacted the Sedes de Santa Cruz.
“At 3:30 p.m. we have communicated with Dr. Ronald Vargas of the Departmental Health Service of Santa Cruz, of the Governor’s Office of Santa Cruz, to ask them to pick up this serum and transfer it from Corumbá to the hospital. The action of the Headquarters is really shameful; We are ashamed of these types of actions and these types of conferences that we must hold at this time to try to clarify in a very respectful manner, but also firmly, those demonstrations that try to politicize health,” added the minister.
“Don’t lie to Santa Cruz; these are supporting documents (which he shows to the cameras) that we have, because it was our management that managed to get these medicines“Insisted Toledo.
It is not the only issue on which there are disagreements and frictions.
Although the Ministry of Health accuses the Government of not executing the budget destined for that area, and states that, among the powers of the departmental government is the care of tertiary hospitals, the Government denies what is referred to as budgetary execution and reminds it of the historical debt of health items that exists with Santa Cruz.
“The role of the Ministry is eminently normative; but we are not going to sit idly by watching how the ineffectiveness of some authorities It has consequences for the health of our people. That is why, also as the Ministry of Health, we have fulfilled operational roles that the Headquarters should fulfill,” said Auza, just in time to mention the installation of medical centers, expansion of beds, provision of doctors and the organization of a minga to prevent dengue fever.
“They come to make fun of four items that they want to leave us, when at Montero hospital owes 151 items and generally the historical debt they have with Santa Cruz is 11,840 items”, Toledo said.
Auza indicated that of the 2022 management the Departmental Government of Santa Cruz “has left Bs 17,922,119 that he should have spent and didn’t. We are surprised that the degree of ineptitude of some authorities is such that they cannot even buy medicines to execute the budget that the National Government has set aside for this purpose”.
The Ministry of Health and Human Development have 93.83% execution (…) I invite all of you to verify which is the department with the highest budget execution (in the Sigep): Santa Cruz, I say it with pride, because for two years we have been making a pilgrimage to increase the budget issue (… ) we did studies, we have repetitive ones, with documents that we asked the Ministry to increase the budget ceiling for the SUS”, Toledo said.
Both authorities accuse each other of politicizing health, in the middle of the lawsuit, the ordinary citizen, who queues and suffers to access the public health system, in the midst of an onslaught of dengue.
