|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: “Nuestra vida se mide en días”: pacientes renales vuelven a protestar por medicamentos y denuncian más de 4.000 muertes en Ecuador

Ecuador’s Kidney Patients Hold Protests Demanding Medications, Highlighting 4,000 Deaths Due to Health System Failures

On August 4, the Plaza Grande in Quito bore witness once again to the desperation of those who struggle daily to sustain transplanted organs or complete dialysis sessions that cannot afford delays. For the fifth time this year, the Kidney Patients Front of Ecuador gathered in front of the Carondelet Palace, carrying banners and united in the chant «We Want to Live!» They demanded the government of Daniel Noboa respond to the collapse of the public healthcare system.

This mobilization was not just another act of protest but a reflection of a situation that, the demonstrators claim, has transcended economic issues to become a humanitarian crisis.

 Kevin Valdez, a representative of the Front, stated emphatically: «Unfortunately, the crisis for kidney patients nationwide has exceeded economic dimensions. We have now entered a state of inhumanity. There is no political will as such,» he declared amidst the gathering, expressing the frustration of an organization that has seen its requests for dialogue systematically ignored by the authorities.

Over 20,800 Patients Facing Shortages

According to figures provided by the group, more than 20,800 people rely on permanent renal treatments in Ecuador, facing daily uncertainty over the availability of necessary supplies. Currently, hospital centers are operating at only 54 percent of supply capacity, a figure far below the recommended range of 80 to 90% by the World Health Organization to ensure adequate care.

According to the newspaper La Hora, the outrage at Plaza Grande intensified when it was revealed that medical personnel and hospital authorities informed affected patients that a massive shipment of medicines from India would not arrive in Ecuador until December.

«Our lives are measured in days, not months,» asserted Gabriela Álvaro, spokesperson for renal patients in Pichincha, highlighting the critical nature of a condition that permits no breaks. She reminded that a renal patient cannot skip dialysis for four months, and a transplant patient must not miss their medications for even a week.

Deaths, Organ Rejection, and Euthanasia

The repercussions of this crisis have already become irreversible for thousands of Ecuadorian families. Kevin Valdez reported that more than 4,000 comrades have lost their «battle» in the past two years due to a lack of supplies and timely treatments, a number that illustrates the scale of what the group describes as a humanitarian crisis caused by state neglect.

But deaths are not the only consequence. Transplant patients are rejecting their organs due to a shortage of immunosuppressive medications, forcing them to rely once again on dialysis machines, adding to the already overwhelmed hospital services.

Gabriela Álvaro also pointed out that the low quality of some generic drugs supplied by the public healthcare network is exacerbating this situation, stating that «any change in the bioequivalence of this specialty medication can affect the organ and ultimately lead to rejection.«

Desperation has led some patients to consider extreme options. According to information from the Observatory of Catastrophic Diseases, some patients no longer wish to suffer and are opting for euthanasia due to lack of treatment, revealed Valdez.

Noboa’s Broken Promise and Budget Cuts

The demonstration by renal patients is particularly significant as it recalls that President Daniel Noboa promised on May 24 during his National Address to resolve the shortage of medications within three weeks. However, this promise has not only gone unfulfilled but the timelines have now extended into the end of the year, according to what has been communicated to the patients.

The right-wing president justified the delay in purchasing medications from India by stating that the process is in the homologation phase with the national health authority. For patients and their families, waiting four more months poses a direct threat to their survival, as it interrupts treatments upon which their lives depend day by day, as Álvaro highlighted during the protest.

The crisis is further deepened by a cumulative budget cut of $421 million between 2023 and 2025, alongside a budget execution of barely 45% in the last year. The instability in the Ministry of Public Health, which has seen its eighth titleholder during the current administration, only exacerbates the situation.

A Seven-Point Proposal and the Demand for Dignified Health Care

Amidst the protest, the Kidney Patients Front presented a seven-point proposal that includes the establishment of a permanent national renal health table, with the participation of authorities, service providers, specialists, and patients. They also demand the provision of quality treatments and adherence to Article 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to health.

«We do not ask for bonuses, we do not ask for luxuries; we only demand dignified health, a right to life that we have as Ecuadorians,» emphasized Valdez, denouncing that the doors of the Executive and the Ministry have been completely closed to kidney patients.

 The eight different ministers who have served have never given us an audience,» he lamented, while the protesters made it clear that they are tired of begging for health care.

*Featured image: La Hora de Ecuador.

La entrada Ecuador’s Kidney Patients Hold Protests Demanding Medications, Highlighting 4,000 Deaths Due to Health System Failures se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.