The president of the Social Security Institute (IPS), Isaías Fretes, revealed that the entity spent approximately Gs. 46 billion over the last ten years on renting medical equipment for arthroscopy, instead of purchasing it. The report was made during a Board of Directors session.
The instruments — used in knee surgeries at the Ingavi Surgical Specialties Hospital — are contracted through outsourcing for each procedure. IPS Health Manager Derlis León detailed that the center performs between 100 and 150 such procedures per month, with a rental cost of approximately Gs. 2.6 million per surgery. This amounts to about Gs. 390 million monthly and nearly Gs. 4.7 billion annually.
“One month of rental payments covers the purchase, and the equipment then remains available for years. They have been renting for 10 years — just imagine the negligence. It no longer adds up how many arthroscopes we could have bought. In 10 years that is Gs. 46 billion, this is no trivial matter,” Fretes stated. The estimated purchase cost of the devices is around Gs. 400 million.
At the same meeting, authorities also examined rent delinquency in Villa Santo Domingo, an IPS residential complex in Asunción. According to the data presented, 22 individuals or families have not paid the monthly rent of Gs. 1.4 million since 2012.
“There are 22 people who have not paid their rent since 2012. I would like to audit and have a detailed report on the condition of these houses, who lives in them, and how much they pay. Regarding the payment, I want to know how long they have not been paying, because we cannot be a charity institution,” Fretes noted.