The Peruvian Medical Association issued a statement addressed to President Dina Boluarte and the Congress of the Republic, requesting the dismissal of the Minister of Health, César Vásquez, due to a series of deficiencies in his management.
The union criticizes the minister’s “indolent” attitude towards the lack of access to health services and medicines, as well as the implementation of initiatives such as FarmaMinsa, which prioritizes the sale of medicines that should be free.
The statement highlights the worrying reduction in immunization coverage, which is currently less than 50% for the main vaccines, which has led to an increase in preventable diseases such as measles, rubella and severe pneumonia.
The Medical Association also warns about the biased interpretation of figures related to dengue, which has caused 242 deaths so far this year. It also highlights that the prevalence of childhood anemia has reached a worrying 43.1%, the highest in recent years, and criticizes the minister’s ineffectiveness in dealing with the increase in tuberculosis.
Another point of controversy pointed out by the Medical Association is the abrupt and improvised approval of the new National Medical Examination, which will be replaced by one managed by the Ministry of Health (Minsa).
According to the organization, the process has been characterized by an extremely tight schedule and a lack of transparency regarding the technical team and the rules for allocating positions, which has generated concern in the medical community.
In parallel to these criticisms, the dean of the Peruvian Medical Association, Pedro Riega, has filed a defamation complaint against the Minister of Health, César Vásquez.
The complaint arose after the minister publicly questioned the Medical Association’s opposition to the new exam implemented by the Minsa for the admission of doctors to the Rural and Marginal Urban Health Service System (Serums).
