President Mario Abdo Benítez of Paraguay faced calls for his resignation and major street protests over the weekend when residents rejected the poor state of the public health system, amid tensions amid a record number of coronavirus infections.
Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America, has received only a few thousand doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni resigned on Friday when critical care units in hospitals were full and that basic medicine ran out without doctors.
Hours after Mr. Mazzoleni retired, took to the streets in the center of Asunción, the capital, to thank the resignation of Abdo Benítez, a Conservative leader who took office in August 2018.
Opposition protesters and lawmakers have said the country’s health crisis has been exacerbated by total corruption at all levels of public procurement and spending.
“Paraguayans have already paid for drugs and vaccines that are not here,” said legislator Efraín Alegre, the leader of the main opposition party, the Liberal Party. “It’s not the Paraguayan’s fault – it’s a serious corruption problem.”
While lawmakers asked for his indictment, Mr. Abdo Benítez on Saturday called on all his ministers to draft resignation letters. At the end of the day, he accepted the resignations of three ministers, including the Minister of Education.
The screaming began on Wednesday when medical professionals in Asunción protested to address the shortage of basic medical supplies. The health workers said the chemotherapy treatment drugs and sedatives for patients who needed to be intubated had run out.
For now, it seems that Mr. Abdo Benitez has enough support in Congress to avoid accusations. But protesters across the country have said they plan to continue holding protests until his government falls.
Paraguay closed its borders and imposed strict measures early in the pandemic, which initially spared it from the major outbreaks seen in neighboring countries such as Brazil and Argentina. But infections have risen over the past few weeks, peaking on March 4 when health officials reported 1,439 new cases.
The health ministers of three other countries in South America – Argentina, Ecuador and Peru – have stepped down in recent weeks amid scandals and criticism of the way governments have dealt with the distribution of vaccines and other aspects of the response to the pandemic.