Battle against corruption will fund healthcare infra, say Guatemalan presidential candidates

As Guatemala prepares to head to the polls to elect a new president on June 25, some of the lesser-known candidates are closing their campaigns with promises to build healthcare infrastructure and upgrade the system, according to local media. 

Manuel Villacorta, candidate of the center-left VOS party said that, if elected, he intends to build several new hospitals – one per department. This will be funded with money obtained from the battle against corruption, he was reported as saying by Prensa Libre.  

“We believe we will have approximately 8bn quetzales (US$1bn) per year,” he said, adding that combatting tax evasion would make another 20bn quetzales available. 

Giovanni Reyes, representing the right-wing Bien party, said he would reform healthcare infrastructure and would also build several new hospitals.

He said he has a plan with which the government would obtain 52bn quetzales per year, but did not provide details of how that money would be collected, according to Prensa Libre. 

The presidential candidate of the right-wing Viva party, Armando Castillo, said that if he emerges as the victor, he would build seven hospitals to have one for every 20,000 people in the country. He vowed to have four completed and operating by the end of his term. The funds he said, would also come from the battle against corruption and from a thorough revision of the funds channeled to programs that do not benefit the general population. 

“There are funds [in the state coffers], funds that will not be wasted on corruption,” he was reported as saying by the daily. 

Francisco Arredondo, the candidate of the center-right Creo party, said that his team is carrying out a survey of national healthcare needs, which are generally in primary and municipal services. Nevertheless, he does not consider the construction of new hospitals to be necessary.

“The current issue with hospitals is that they are overcrowded because the first level of primary medical attention doesn't meet demand and people go straight to hospital, which creates congestion,” he told Prensa Libre. “As we boost primary care by 90-95%, that demand will immediately be reduced,” he added.

Like other candidates, Arredondo said that the funds to improve primary healthcare services will come principally from the battle against corruption. 

Photo: San Juan de Dios hospital in Guatemala City. (Source: AFP)