The government of Ecuador has opened a new health center in Shushufindi, Sucumbíos province, with an investment of USD 1.7 million. The project is the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health (MSP), EP Petroecuador, and the Municipality of Shushufindi. The new facility is expected to benefit more than 8,000 people.
Vice President María José Pinto led the inauguration ceremony for the “La Victoria” Type A Health Center. Other officials present included Stalin Andino, Vice Minister of Comprehensive Health Care; Diego Carrasco, Head of Social Responsibility and Community Relations at Petroecuador; and Lorena Cajas, Mayor of Shushufindi.
The center offers general medicine, dentistry, nursing services, vaccination, medical procedures, and a pharmacy. It is staffed by nine professionals who will provide health promotion, disease prevention, recovery services, and palliative care as outlined in the Integrated Health Care Model.
“The Government is close to the people, and we want to strengthen primary care. A strong system starts in the community with prevention, and we are working on both physical and mental health,” said Vice President Pinto during her remarks.
Additionally, construction has begun on housing for doctors at the Limoncocha Health Center in Shushufindi. This project is managed by EP Petroecuador under an institutional cooperation agreement involving local health authorities and SNEM Zone IX as part of social compensation measures related to oil operations in Block 15. The estimated investment for this housing is USD 330,000.
In parallel efforts to expand specialized care access in Sucumbíos province, MSP organized a Pediatric Neurology Brigade. The initiative provided daily consultations for up to 42 children per day out of a total of 206 identified pediatric patients in Gonzalo Pizarro canton’s Lumbaquí parish. Seven consulting rooms were set up for this purpose.
The brigade included six private sector doctors—neurologists and a pediatrician—and six MSP specialists in family medicine with two disability assessment teams. According to MSP statements, these actions aim to bring specialized services closer to prioritized areas and improve early detection and treatment for neurological conditions among children.
