Santiago Peña maintains support for Health Minister despite ongoing public health crises

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the state of public health during his administration, yet has not implemented significant changes or addressed the underlying issues. Despite facing crises such as neonatal deaths in public hospitals and calls for the dismissal of Health Minister Teresa Barán, Peña continues to offer her his full support.

In various reports to the National Republican Association (ANR) and Congress, Peña has characterized health services as a “weak point” and a “pending matter” for his government. He has noted that both public health and the Social Security Institute (IPS) remain in poor condition, stating that the administration is “running from behind” in many instances. Although he formed a national health team to address these challenges, critics point out that his public criticisms have not been met with concrete administrative responses over the past three years.