IPS authorized a 550 million guarani tender to supply eyeglasses after canceling a contract scheduled to run through November 2026. Óptica María Auxiliadora disputes the decision and is seeking payments it says remain outstanding despite investments made to serve insured members.
Instituto de Previsión Social
The Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS) is Paraguay’s social insurance system for many formal-sector workers and also operates its own network of hospitals, clinics and benefits. That is why IPS appears not only in stories about pensions and payroll contributions, but also medicines, waiting times, employer duties, reserves and public investment. This dossier brings together Pytagua coverage of how the system is financed, what insured people can claim, and where administration, health care or oversight becomes important in practice.
The removal of a 14-kilogram liposarcoma at the IPS Regional Hospital in Ciudad del Este shows that complex surgery can be performed locally, serving patients in Alto Paraná without requiring travel to Asunción.
Days before municipal elections, Asunción’s collective agreement provides for costly benefits and was fast-tracked under union pressure, while reports differ over claims that it was driven by electoral motives. Camilo Pérez criticized the agreement and outlined proposals for management and neighborhood public works.
Paraguay has opened its first Robotic Surgery Training Center, equipped with the South Korean REVO-i system, in a cooperative initiative between the two countries aimed at training professionals and positioning Paraguay as a regional training center.
During a surprise ‘Taguato’ visit to San Lorenzo General Hospital, Paraguay’s health minister, Isaías Fretes, pointed to staff shortages and laboratory problems, toured services including diagnostic imaging, and advocated protocols and audits to reduce unnecessary tests.
IPS cut the temporary cap on the Banco Atlas trust account from G. 160 billion to G. 80 billion, making up to G. 80 billion available to the Sickness and Maternity Fund while leaving payments on bonds that financed infrastructure works unchanged. The bank said the funds held in the account generated financial returns and that it will continue working with the institute and regulatory authorities.
Roberto González (ANR) threatened to seek the impeachment of BCP President Carlos Carvallo Spalding, also spelled Carlos Cavallo Spalding, unless questions about Ueno, the custody of public funds and possible conflicts of interest are clarified. He also challenged the “neopeñistas” to defend the government of Santiago Peña’s actions.
An IPS audit identified a G. 625.159 billion discrepancy between electronic records and the physical movement of medicines and supplies from 2020 to 2024, attributing it to failures in system integration and incomplete documentation. It did not prove a shortfall, while the institution investigates possible responsibility.
The Senate gave the Central Bank of Paraguay 15 days to explain the concentration of public funds at Ueno Bank, accounting discrepancies, transactions with related companies and the handling of an internal memorandum, while the Paraguayan Banking Association calls for transparency and uniform application of the rules.
Senator Rafael Filizzola accused Santiago Peña of using Ueno to make poor deals with state funds and IPS contributors’ money, with possible effects on health care and retirement, as well as supplying energy at low prices and ignoring warnings about the bank.
An IPS audit identified discrepancies of up to G. 625.159 billion between recorded and physical medicine inventories, attributed mainly to incomplete integration between the SIH and SAP MM systems, and recommended assessing possible effects on accounting and medicine availability for insured people.
Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies left the IPS emergency bill off its agenda despite a priority motion, as a crisis within Honor Colorado — led by Horacio Cartes, who confirmed the Pedro Alliana–Juan Carlos Baruja ticket — surrounds a proposal that could increase the exposure of the institution’s funds to Ueno Bank.
Isaías Fretes took over Paraguay’s Health Ministry after political pressure, a doctors’ strike and demands from Horacio Cartes, Lilian Samaniego, Noelia Cabrera and Sinamed directed at María Teresa Barán, promising to expand prevention and Family Health Units, combat misappropriation — “opá la ñemondá,” he said, speaking as “Juan Pueblo” — and bring care to the country’s most remote regions.
An audit by the Comptroller General’s Office estimates a G. 65.5 billion loss in the IPS’s real estate assets between 2023 and 2025, attributed to low returns and occupancy and collection problems, while new surveys point to possible irregularities in land in the Chaco.
IPS holds up to 82.49% of its dollar-denominated CDA in the five largest banks, while the Senate is demanding information from BCP on the management of these public resources, banking operations and loans to policyholders.
Horacio Cartes named Juan Carlos Baruja as Pedro Alliana’s running mate for 2028, while the vice president postponed the decision until after the municipal elections; in the same political landscape, Colorado Añetete declared support for Camilo Pérez and Hugo Ramírez, and the government and doctors reached a preliminary pay agreement amid a strike.
Paraguayan Deputy Minister Saúl Recalde apologized after being filmed holding doctor Freddy Hernán Cantero by the neck at the Ministry of Health and placed his position at the minister’s disposal.
An audit by the Comptroller General's Office found that IPS has no internal protocols to recover principal and interest invested in banks in arrears, insolvency or bankruptcy, even though savings deposit certificates account for 46.62% of its portfolio, and recommended specific prevention, monitoring and investment-recovery measures.
Paraguay’s Central Administration executed ₲46 trillion between January and August 2026, with spending concentrated on salaries, transfers, social programs and health, which received ₲2.1 trillion to settle pharmaceutical obligations and maintain the supply of medicines and medical supplies.
An actuarial projection by IPS indicates that the ratio of contributors to retirees will fall from 9.6 to about three by 2050, while reserves would begin to be used in 2036 and could be exhausted around 2046 without corrective measures.
Santiago Peña reshuffled Paraguay’s health leadership, appointing Isaías Fretes as minister and Derlis León as IPS president, while doctors maintain a strike over a salary increase and an audit warns about the concentration of social security funds at Ueno Bank.
A 20-year-old Paraguayan woman was rescued by Brazil’s Federal Police in Marechal Cândido Rondon after being lured to Brazil by a false job offer and taken to a brothel, while authorities investigate those responsible and possible other victims.
Santiago Peña said there is no break with Horacio Cartes, attributed criticism to the municipal elections, defended clarifications over a request for information from the Central Bank involving Ueno Bank, and called for continued dialogue with doctors threatening a strike on September 21 and 22.
IPS reviewed low returns, payment defaults and legal disputes involving Villa Santo Domingo, Isla de Francia and Cantegrill, considering converting part of the first property into accommodation for medical residents and improving the use of the other properties.