2023-08-02 19:17:44
Cuenca, August 2, 2023
During a visit to the San Joaquín Health Center in the city of Cuenca, the President of the Republic, Guillermo Laso, together with the Minister of Public Health, José Ruales, and the Technical Secretary of Ecuador Grows Without Child Malnutrition, Erwin Ronquillo, verified the delivery of health services through the “prioritized package” that includes: prenatal control, healthy child control, vaccination and nutritional counseling for pregnant women and children from 0 to 24 months of age in all health centers nationwide with the aim of preventing and reducing chronic child malnutrition.
This important step is an integral part of the “Ecuador National Strategy Creates Without Child Malnutrition”, in which the Ministry of Public Health provides the “Prioritized Package” in all its first-level health care establishments, stresses the importance of Comprehensive care during the first thousand days of life, that is, guaranteeing access to health services from pregnancy to 24 months of age of a child.
Through the delivery of the prioritized package, coverage of well-child check-ups at the national level increased from 56% (375,151 children cared for) to 61% (404,966), which represents an increase of more than 29,815 children under 24 months of age cared for during the year 2022, in relation to the year 2021. During the first semester of 2023 there is a control coverage of healthy children of 57% (340,177 children attended).
While the coverage in pregnant women reflects an increase from 89% (274,612 pregnant women attended) to 91% (279,985), that is, they increased more than 5,373 pregnant women attended during 2022, in relation to 2021. While, in the first semester of 2023 , coverage reaches 71%, with a total of 177,642 pregnant women attended.
In a clear commitment to the well-being of Ecuadorian children, the National Government through the National Strategy Ecuador Grows without Child Malnutrition has allocated an investment of $327 million for the year 2023; Of this investment, the Ministry of Public Health alone executes a total of $105 million, channeling these resources towards various prevention activities such as: infrastructure with the improvement of 588 health centers in 2022 and 100 more will be intervened in 2023; 4,483 anthropometric equipments were delivered to measure weight and height; The connectivity of 753 first-level establishments was strengthened, 1,726 new professionals were hired who joined the care of children under 24 months and pregnant women, as well as the training of 701 community guards to identify risks in DCI.
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