The people of Ecuador are rising up to refound their country as a pluri-national homeland for all. This inspiring movement, with Ecuador's indigenous peoples at its heart, is part of the revolution spreading across the Americas, laying the groundwork for a new, fairer, world. Ecuador Rising aims to bring news and analysis of events unfolding in Ecuador to english speakers.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

ECUADOR:CORREA SUPPORTS FREE NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH

NAM NEWS NETWORK Mar 6th, 2010

QUITO, March 6 (NNN-Prensa Latina): Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa has defined the national public health as an avenue ?to provide high quality care, access massive and absolutely free, “because health is not a commodity.”

At the conclusion of an evaluation meeting, he said the efficiency of investments and implementing a new system to facilitate public access to health centers was a way to control various diseases.

“We have more than doubled investment in health, because we believe it is one of the pillars of the Revolution of Citizens, and we believe that conviction is a fundamental human right and a necessity for Good Living,” he said.

Correa stressed that “we can not return to the dark ages when the difference between life death, was a matter of a few dollars.”

He explained that the Public Health System would cover the four systems or the institutions of the Ministry of Health, Social Security, Armed Forces and Police.

“This means a citizen can go to any of these systems and be treated with the same quality and warmth.”

“In about two years this system will be fully integrated and citizens may be served in any of these hospitals,” he stressed.

“It is the constitutional mandate of a single health care system, whose rector is the Ministry of Public Health.”

Much remains to be done in terms of investment and human resources, he said, adding that this year, the government was expected to hire about 7,000 new health professionals.

“We have hired government nearly 13,000 new staff and health professionals though it takes about 12,000 doctors more to meet international standards.?

“There is good progress,” he said, recalling that before 2007 there were no scanners in public hospitals and there are now 23 and about 40 mammography, modern equipment, new hospitals and upgrading of old ones.

-NNN-PRENSA LATINA

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