Dozens of doctors, nurses, patients, and relatives gathered outside a hospital in Quito to protest worsening conditions in Ecuador’s public health system, describing a situation where basic resources are no longer guaranteed and care is increasingly delayed.
At the center of the protest were reports of long surgical wait times and a growing expectation that patients supply their own medical materials. In many cases, individuals arriving for procedures are bringing items such as syringes, medication, and sutures to ensure treatment can proceed.
Healthcare workers say the system is under severe strain. At the Pablo Arturo Suárez Hospital in Quito, more than 1,000 patients are currently waiting for surgery. Some of those cases involve urgent conditions, yet delays continue to stretch for months.
In Cuenca, a surgeon at Vicente Corral Hospital described waiting times of up to ten months for operations. The situation is compounded by equipment failures and shortages of essential supplies, leaving nearly half of operating rooms out of service.
Concerns are not limited to a single city. Medical professionals in Guayaquil and Cuenca voiced support for the protest, citing similar shortages of staff, equipment, and medication in their own facilities.
Tensions have intensified following an announcement that up to 1,300 healthcare workers could be dismissed in the coming weeks as part of a government effort to reorganize resources. The move is widely seen by medical staff as a blow to an already overstretched system.
Beyond hospitals, the impact is also being felt in prisons, where a tuberculosis outbreak has infected thousands of inmates, raising further concerns about healthcare capacity.
Protesters carried signs highlighting the lack of supplies and warning of a system under pressure. For many, the issue is no longer just about delays or inconvenience, but about the ability to deliver basic, safe care.