The Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that President Santiago Peña inform them whether he authorized a multi-million dollar out-of-court settlement for the social security institute IPS, as stated by the institution's former legal director, José González Maldonado, who is under investigation for breach of trust.
Instituto de Previsión Social
The Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS) is Paraguay's social security institution and also runs a large public health network. It often appears in stories about pensions, contributions, hospitals, and medicine supply.
A 32-year study in Paraguay has demonstrated that no-till farming combined with crop rotation significantly increases soil biological activity and nutrients.
The new management of Paraguay's social security institute has found 67 inherited criminal cases, including high-impact investigations and delays of up to a decade, and plans to speed up investigations to recover funds.
The director of Paraguay's social security institute, the IPS, admitted that Ueno Bank exceeds the legal limit for the concentration of pension funds, which an opposition senator called "ridiculous" while calling for an investigation. Meanwhile, President Santiago Peña denied any violation and criticized the public disclosure of the case.
The high volatility of the Brazilian real against the Paraguayan guarani is reversing the trade flow on the Brazil-Paraguay border, encouraging Paraguayans to shop in Brazil while reducing the purchasing power of Brazilian informal cross-border traders and affecting the value of remittances.
IPS President Isaías Fretes discovered hospital equipment valued at $20 million abandoned and unused at the Central Hospital, prompting the opening of audits and the possibility of reports to the Public Ministry for alleged damage to public property.
Nurses leave Paraguay's social security institute IPS due to low wages and migrate to countries like Germany and Italy, while healthcare professionals protest for better working conditions and salary adjustments.
The Paraguayan Social Security Institute (IPS) has only 63 ambulances, many of which are old or under maintenance, to serve more than two million insured individuals across the country.
Senator Rafael Filizzola demanded explanations from IPS president Isaías Fretes over the transfer of billions of guaranis from the social security fund to Ueno bank, which is linked to a former business partner of President Santiago Peña, following the relaxation of rules that reduced financial security requirements for the institution.
The IPS Hemodynamic Service is operating at only 40% of its capacity due to a lack of dedicated rooms, while specialists warn of a rise in heart attacks and hypertension among young Paraguayans under 40, driven by factors such as the use of energy drinks, anabolic steroids, vapes, and a sedentary lifestyle.
A Paraguayan teacher who paid nearly 150 times the original amount of a 1 million guaraní debt contracted in 2007 remains listed in Informconf because the court records proving the debt was settled have disappeared from the judiciary's archives, and the agency will not remove her name from the defaulters' registry without a final court clearance.
Formal employment in Paraguay reached a record high in May 2026, with 842,023 private-sector wage earners contributing to the general regime of the Social Security Institute (IPS).
Senator Juan Afara proposed in the Senate the issuance of $304 million in government bonds to guarantee the purchase of medicines and medical supplies for the IPS.
Patients with rare and chronic diseases in Paraguay have been without essential medications for eight months due to a lack of Budget Availability Certificates, and the Paraguayan Federation of Patients with Rare Diseases (FEPPER) accuses the government, including President Santiago Peña and Economy Minister Óscar Lovera, of failing to respond to requests, while current tenders cover only 70 of the more than 350 patients in need.
The Social Security Institute (IPS) allocated G. 174,057,730,805 in contracts to Infocenter SA, which won three of the four bidding processes held since 2017 for the implementation of an integrated management system based on SAP technology, accounting for approximately 94.4% of the total G. 184,452,730,805 earmarked by the institution for the platform.
The Paraguayan Senate passed the bill creating the National Registry of Students with High Intellectual Capacity, which had already been approved by the Chamber of Deputies and was sent to the Executive Branch for enactment or veto.
IPS canceled tenders that included items removed from its formulary, following the withdrawal of 23 products — 12 vaccines and 11 medications — as part of a broader review that eliminated 916 items from the institution's official supplies list.
The Hospiclean Consortium was reported to the DNCP for paying cleaning workers at the IPS below the legal minimum wage, despite declaring costs of up to G. 9.5 million per worker per month, while the outsourcing contract, signed in November 2024, had a total value of G. 126.9 million.
Mass resignations of professionals in the Neonatology Department at the IPS Central Hospital threaten the continuity of the service. Management is proposing public calls for foreign doctors to fill the vacancies.
The IPS Board of Directors unanimously approved a private godparent sponsorship proposal presented by board member Mirtha Arias to improve the conditions, considered precarious and inhumane, of shelters for relatives of hospitalized patients. A pilot plan will be implemented after discussions with pharmaceutical chambers and the institution's suppliers.
The president of IPS, Isaías Fretes, found leaks in 80% of the roof of Clínica 12 de Junio in Asunción, a hospital that opened just a year and a half ago and also suffers from issues such as a non-functioning water pump, a kitchen closed for over 18 months, and a flooded X-ray department. He has called for a comprehensive technical, administrative, and contractual audit to determine accountability.
The National Doctors' Union of Paraguay has announced a national strike in the public health sector from August 24 to 28, with emergency services remaining operational but scheduled appointments and surgeries suspended, demanding a salary adjustment after nearly 15 years of minimal wage corrections.
An internal audit by IPS uncovered a scheme that concealed over PYG 7.670 billion in employer debts owed by more than 50 companies and individuals, through irregular alterations to data in the RUC and REI systems, with approximately 14 employees linked to the modifications.
The former legal director of IPS, José González Maldonado, received Gs 412.5 million (Paraguayan guaraníes) in his personal account as legal fees from an out-of-court settlement of Gs 7.5 billion with Consorcio Hotelero Sudamericano, in a case under investigation for possible illicit enrichment and breach of trust.