Again, Ecuador’s Third Health Minister Resigns In 40 Days
Ecuador Government announced on Wednesday, 7th April that the country’s Health Minister Mauro Falconi has resigned less than three weeks on the job, following in the footsteps of his predecessors.
Falconi is the third health minister to resign in 40 days.
Local media reported certain issues on Tuesday and Wednesday with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine rollout in Quito, where senior citizens were told to hold on for over eight hours in line before being inoculated.
It was also reported that there were coordination problems with the delivery of jabs, stating that similar issues happened in Guayaquil.
“Our seniors deserve the utmost respect. What happened today has no justification.
“I have asked for the resignation of the health minister and he will be replaced by Dr Camilo Salinas,” President Lenin Moreno tweeted on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Secretary General of the Cabinet Jorge Wated Reshuan called the events in Quito “unacceptable” in a tweet.
His predecessor, surgeon Rodolfo Farfan, was previously appointed to the post on March 1 to replace Juan Carlos Zevallos, who resigned in late February amid allegations of favoritism in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
Farfan resigned on the 19th of March.
Salinas is the sixth health minister in the current administration and the fifth since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ecuador, with a population of roughly 17 million, has so far recorded over 328,000 infections and almost 12,000 COVID-19 related deaths.
