Correa Inaugurates New Health Centers in Rural Ecuador

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa inaugurated three new health centers in previously under-serviced areas Tuesday as part of a push to bolster health care nationwide.

The centers are located in three towns in the southern province of Azuay: Chaucha, Nabon and Molleturo, and will offer services ranging from dentistry to psychological care.

According to Correa, the centers offer care that was previously unavailable in the region, with many residents used to having to make long journeys to the cities of Cuenca or Guayaquil to receive treatment.

These new health centers are deliberately built in areas previously under-served by government services, according to the president.

“Now no one is in need,” Correa said.

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Run by the Ministry of Public Health, the centers are available to all residents free of charge and are part of the government's efforts to expand Ecuador's public health system.

Since Correa became president in 2007, 46 health centers and 12 hospitals have been built throughout the country, with more set to be opened over the next few years.

So far this year, the government has spent more than US$2.5 million on health services.

"We are continuing on the path so that public services serve as an example, that they are the best, that's the dream of the Citizens Revolution," said Minister of Health Carina Vance earlier this year, referencing the name given to the political process led by President Correa.