They minimized the payment of Global bonuses and complaints about the lack of resources for hospitals
JOURNALISTS
The health emergency unleashed by the coronavirus revealed the Government’s lack of attention to the public hospital system and improvisation in handling the crisis.
However, it has endeavored to position the media that the actions taken have been the most appropriate, which has been promoted by the media.
President Lenín Moreno decided to prioritize the payment of USD 320 million of capital from Global 2020 bonds, instead of allocating those resources to attend to the emergency.
He played down the requests made by various social and political sectors, which demanded a moratorium on the payment of the external debt.
The media aligned themselves with the government’s decision and tried to avoid talking that resources had been allocated for external debt.
For example, Teleamazonas reported that «The Government announced the renegotiation of the external debt and the Minister of Economy and Finance assured that Ecuador is benefiting from a grace period that will ease the burden of USD 200 million for non-payment of interest» .
Ecuavisa gave an extensive interview to the Minister of Economy and Finance, Richard Martínez, in which he explained the supposed benefits of the Government’s decision, assuring that what is important is “the vision of the future, debt relief is achieved and sources of financing».
Diario El Comercio titled: «Renegotiation of debt to lower fiscal pressure», while other print media such as El Universo, Expreso, La Hora and El Telégrafo did not include the news of the payment of the Global bonds, on their covers this March 24.
Another event recorded in recent days was the departure of Catalina Andramuño from the Ministry of Health. In his resignation letter, addressed to President Moreno, he assured that one of the reasons for his decision was that the Ministry of Finance did not provide resources to face the health emergency.
In memorandum number MEF-VGF-2020-027-M, the Vice Ministry of Economy and Finance responded to the General Administrative Financial Coordinator of the Ministry of Health that the emergency should be attended with the budget of that State portfolio.
This complaint was made invisible by the media, which limited themselves to reporting on the departure of the official and the appointment of Jun Carlos Zevallos as new minister.
El Comercio newspaper titled: “Catalina Andramuño resigns from the Ministry of Health in the midst of the covid-19 emergency”, while the head of El Universo was: “Juan Carlos Zevallos is the new Minister of Health; replaces Catalina Andramuño ”.
The press has also not given more space to the complaints of relatives of the first victims of the coronavirus, in Babahoyo, the complaints of doctors for the lack of supplies for their protection and the citizen discomfort due to the deficiencies of the call center 171 and the failed announcement of the Government for tests in private clinics.
Source: Pichincha Universal
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