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News > Guatemala

The Lack of Transparency Marks COVID-19 Response in Guatemala

  • Indigenous people and rural workers demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei, Guatemala, Feb. 8, 2021.

    Indigenous people and rural workers demand the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei, Guatemala, Feb. 8, 2021. | Photo: EFE

Published 13 May 2021
Opinion

"To date, health institutions lack specialized equipment, there is a shortage of personnel, medicines, and supplies," Ombudsman Rodas said.

The Human Rights Ombudsman's Office described Guatemala's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a failure and decried the lack of vaccines. 

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"The response of the Government to the pandemic has been marked by great mistakes and opacity, which has resulted in the systematic violation of the human right to health of all inhabitants," Ombudsman Jordan Rodas said. 

"To date, health institutions lack specialized equipment, there is a shortage of personnel, medicines, and supplies, the infrastructure is inadequate, and there are no plans for improvement," he added.

Recently, Health Minister Amelia Flores acknowledged before Congress that some 321,600 AstraZeneca doses would expire in June, while available vaccines would not be enough to continue the second phase of the immunization campaign targeting people over 70 years of age.

Rodas holds that President Alejandro Giammattei did not implement programs aimed at supporting vulnerable populations. He noted that poverty, underemployment, malnutrition, and hunger escalated to unprecedented levels.

The Ombudsman's Office also pointed out that both surveillance at the borders and quarantines of people entering Guatemala were not applied promptly.

"The lack of transparency has been constant... false COVID-19 tests, budget cuts to the hospital network, and failed procurement system," Rodas claimed. 

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