Secretaría de Salud clarifies status of medical supplies in Tegucigalpa

The Honduran Secretariat of Health (Sesal) has addressed concerns regarding medical equipment and expired supplies stored outdoors at a facility in the Torocagua neighborhood of Tegucigalpa. Following the circulation of images showing items exposed to weather conditions, Sesal clarified that the materials are identified for disposal and are not intended for patient use.

Authorities stated the items include obsolete medical machinery, expired COVID-19 vaccine thermal boxes, and leftover diluents. Sesal emphasized that these goods are being held temporarily while undergoing the mandatory administrative and legal procedures required for the official decommissioning and final disposal of public assets.

Former Health Minister Carla Paredes noted that some expired medicines and equipment have been stored in private warehouses at a significant monthly cost. She attributed the delay in disposal to complex state bureaucratic processes. In response to the controversy, Sesal reiterated that no expired or substandard products will be distributed to health facilities.