The performance of the National Health System of Ecuador in the face of health emergencies

Abstract

The national health system is a mechanism by which States seek to guarantee the protection of the health of their citizens, each country having its own health system. On certain occasions this system is subjected to extreme demands, such as a natural disaster or a pandemic, as well as what the world is going through with COVID-19. Countries that have strong health systems based on primary health care (reflected in coverage for all their citizens, financial protection, and adequate prevention and health promotion) perform better in the face of these extreme demands. This response capacity of the Ecuadorian national health system was studied regarding the Pedernales earthquake that occurred in the province of Manabí, on April 16, 2016, and in which 663 people died (1), affecting the operation of several units. of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), including the Chone hospital, where a study (2) financed by the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil was carried out, which showed the programs, management and actions that the MSP should improve to adequately protect to the population before similar events that occur in the future. A triangulation of documentary, qualitative and quantitative methodologies was made. The epidemiological and service production information was systematized from official documents, in-depth interviews were conducted with health program directors and MSP technicians. The users' vision of health care before and after the earthquake was collected through surveys of users of health units.