The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare assigned 44 ambulances from the Extra-Hospital Medical Emergency Service (SEME) to cover Rally Paraguay, scheduled for August 27–30 in Itapúa. The measure mobilized 18 vehicles from the host department and 26 others from regions including Alto Paraná, Caaguazú, Misiones and San Pedro.
Deputy Minister of Comprehensive Health Care Saúl Recalde said the country has about 500 ambulances and that the redistribution was planned in an “equitable” manner. He said bases in neighboring departments, such as San Ignacio and San Juan, would remain available to handle emergencies and that there would be no risk of an interruption in contingency coverage.
The decision drew reactions from health professionals in Itapúa. Publicly shared audio recordings and videos questioned the removal of the vehicles, while, according to a report published by local media, a doctor from Caapucú reported difficulty transferring a patient with an aortic dissection to Itauguá Hospital. Recalde described the episode as a “misunderstanding” and said the transport was carried out.
In Caaguazú, three of the department’s 18 ambulances were sent to the event. Cristian Vera, director of the 5th Health Region, said the 15 remaining units continue to be available to the 22 districts and can be deployed by the Regulatory Center, the system that coordinates care and referrals to higher-complexity hospitals.
The structure prepared for the competition includes 49 medical coverage posts. In the previous edition, 174 people received care, mainly for bruises and abrasions, digestive, metabolic and cardiovascular decompensation, high blood pressure and traffic accidents.
The issue reached the Senate on August 26. Líder Amarilla, Ever Villalba and Rafael Filizzola criticized the temporary concentration of resources for a four-day event, arguing that the public system needs to care for patients throughout the year. The statements expressed a political position and do not, by themselves, confirm that hospitals were left without coverage.
Senators from the Colorado Party (ANR) defended the strategy. Colym Soroka said the competition is bringing activity to hotels and restaurants in Encarnación, while Derlis Maidana cited an estimate of US$130 million in gains from the first edition and said the economic benefit would exceed the public spending mentioned in the debate. The Health Ministry maintains that coordination among the remaining bases will preserve the emergency response outside Itapúa. The debate also concerns the implications of the redistribution for Paraguay’s emergency-health capacity, public-resource allocation and regional event planning.