One of the cases was the death of a three-year-old girl in the province of Morona Santiago due to a lack of antivenom after being stung by a scorpion.

The other incident that shocked Ecuadorians was the death of a one-month-old baby from the Achuar community, whose body was delivered in a cardboard box sealed with tape to the General Hospital of Macas, also in the province of Morona Santiago.

“These events reflect a profound crisis in the health system that hits indigenous peoples, the poor, and the entire population the hardest,” CONAIE stated.

In addition, since December 1st, thousands of members of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) have stopped receiving care in the private sector because the State owes these external providers more than 1.3 billion bolivianos.

The Indigenous movement denounced that the situation in the public healthcare system is equally critical due to shortages of essential medicines and a supply that only reaches 45%.

“This crisis is a direct consequence of government decisions, unplanned budget cuts, unpaid debts, and management marked by negligence and indifference,” the Indigenous peoples’ organization stated in a press release shared on social media.

The document also recalled that in November 2024, eight Indigenous children died in the Amazon from infections that went undiagnosed.

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