Daily coverage from across the country, written for the expat community
Results for “healthcare”Clear
El Comercio reports that dialysis patients are traveling to other cities or paying out of pocket because the MSP owes two years of services to private dialysis centers. The report says many patients do not reach the 12 monthly sessions they require.
An 11 PM to 5 AM curfew is in effect across nine provinces and four cantons through May 18. No safe-conduct passes will be issued. Here is everything expats need to know, from affected areas to the only exemptions that exist.
Your IESS pension isn't based on your last salary or years of service alone — it's calculated from the average of your five highest-earning years. If your employer has been under-reporting your salary, you won't find out until retirement. Here's how the formula works.
ARCSA reviewed 2,100+ registered products and reclassified 30 active ingredients as prescription-only. If you're used to buying certain medicines at the farmacia without a receta, some of those purchases just got harder.
The incoming Energy Minister inherits a five-front crisis: a 900+ MW power generation gap, record electricity demand of 5,374 MW, oil output at its lowest since 2003, and a dormant mining cadastre. Here's what that means for daily life.
President Noboa declared a 15-day curfew from 11 PM to 5 AM covering Pichincha, Guayas, Manabí, and six other provinces plus four cantons. No salvoconducts. Business groups say the last curfew cost exporters $200 million.
Two bills moving through Ecuador's Assembly would redirect a 0.5% employer payroll contribution — currently flowing through IESS — to fund the Secap professional training agency. If you run an Ecuadorian business or employ anyone locally, this changes the math.
President Daniel Noboa announced cabinet changes on April 20, installing Jaime Bernabé Erazo as Minister of Health effective immediately. The Ministry of Environment and Energy will receive a new minister on April 30, with the current officeholder stepping down.
Ecuador's EMBI country risk indicator closed at 409 points on April 17 — the lowest level since October 2014. The reading reflects higher oil prices, an IMF $400M disbursement, and a growth forecast upgraded from 1.8% to 2.5% for 2026. Here's what it means for cost of living and investment.
Ecuador's social security pension system has more than doubled its retiree count since 2016 — to 840,456 — while contributing affiliates have stayed flat at 3.54 million. Pension spending hits $7.55 billion in 2026, contributions cover only $3.44 billion. The IESS is requesting $3.05 billion from the government and pulling $1.41 billion from reserves. Here's what's actually happening to Ecuador's pension system.
Economy Minister Sariha Moya presented Ecuador's fiscal efficiency formula at the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington on April 14. Her headline numbers: international reserves up from $3 billion to $11 billion, poverty down from 28% to 21% in 2025, and local-government payment delays cut by 85%. She credited the fuel subsidy phase-out that ran from June 2024 through September 2025.
Ecuador's Ministry of Health confirmed the country's first imported case of Mpox Clade Ib on April 2 -- the more contagious variant that has driven outbreaks in Central Africa. The case was identified through genomic sequencing by INSPI. Health authorities activated a national alert but stressed there is no need for alarm.
