Carla Paredes, who served as Honduras’s health secretary under former president Xiomara Castro, has accused the administration of President Nasry Asfura of using a declared health emergency as a pretext to dismantle public medical services and push patients toward costly private care.

“How much does a vascular surgeon cost in the private sector, gentlemen? He was at the Santa Bárbara hospital, and they took him away. An internist was at the Santa Bárbara hospital, and they took him away. Why do you think they removed the radiology technicians? So that people have to pay for X‑ray studies in the private sector,” said Paredes, who served from 2022 to 2026 in the previous administration.

The former official described the narrative of a health crisis as a “lie” that has provided cover for administrative decisions aimed at emptying public health facilities. She said the dismissals have affected not only specialists but also technical personnel, weakening the system’s capacity to address existing surgical backlogs.

Paredes’s remarks came amid growing unrest within Honduras’s medical community. Doctors have held assembly meetings to protest the recent dismissals and what they describe as deficient technical management of the emergency declaration.

Beyond the staffing cuts, Paredes pointed to rising costs for basic goods and fuel, which she said compound the burden on patients who are increasingly forced to pay out‑of‑pocket for services previously available through the public system.

In her view, the country is moving toward a model where access to health care will depend more and more on a person’s ability to pay, rather than on public guarantees.

IN THIS ARTICLE