Fourteen dead, 29 injured in Cuenca-Guayaquil bus crash; Government plans to fire 1,300 public health workers; Noboa plans official visit to China in August

Fourteen people died and at least 29 were injured Wednesday when a Cuenca-to-Guayaquil bus crashed through a guard rail on the Cuenca-Molleturo-Guayaquil highway. The bus burst into flames when it landed in a ravine, causing many of the deaths and injuries, according to first responders.

The crash occurred just after noon at the El Chorro bridge, kilometer marker 57 of the Cuenca-Molleturo highway. The passenger bus, operated by the San Luis Cooperative, left Cuenca’s Terminal Terrestre at 11:05 a.m.

Cuenca firemen douse flames from the crash of a Guayaquil-bound bus on the Cuenca-Molletero highway.

The injured, many suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, were transported to the Vincente Corral Moscoso and the José Carrasco Arteaga Hospitals in Cuenca.

The Cuenca-Molleturo highway was closed for three hours as a result of the accident.

Government plans to fire 1,300 public health workers
The Health Ministry says it is terminating employment of 1,300 public health workers, the majority of them in public hospitals. The ministry claims the workers, including many doctors and nurses, are “surplus and redundant” and not essential to the public health mission.

According to the ministry, 300 workers have already been fired.

“After a comprehensive analysis of the distribution of human talent, it was decided to optimize public health resources after identifying duplication of functions and other situations that do not contribute effectively to the fulfillment of institutional objectives,” the Health Ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that workers to be terminated are employed under provisional appointments and occasional contracts.

Medical associations and health care worker unions reacted angrily to the announcement, claiming the public health system is already unstaffed and underfunded. President of the Ecuadorian Medical Federation Santiago Carrasco described the decision as being “out of any logical technical context,” claiming many essential health professionals are being fired. “These actions not only violate labor rights, but also directly aggravate the already deteriorated capacity of the public health system,” he said.

Carlos Esteban, a surgeon at San Pablo Hospital in Guayaquil, said the firings will be felt most strongly by the poor population. “The public hospitals and clinics primarily serve the poorer segments of the population and, as usual, the government has decided to balance its books on the backs of the poor.”

Noboa to visit China in August
President Daniel Noboa announced Monday that he will make an official visit to China in August. The president said he planned to discuss investments in major infrastructure projects with Chinese official and as well as “explore new trade opportunities.”

According to a spokeswoman in the presidential press office, Noboa wants to assure the Chinese that recent partnerships with the United States are intended strictly for security purposes and do not affect Ecuador’s relationship with China. “Our friendship with China remains strong and the president intends to strengthen that partnership in the areas of trade, investment, as well as cultural and educational initiatives,” she said. “Our arrangements with the U.S. are intended only for the purpose of combatting transnational crime, particularly in the area of drug trafficking.”

China became Ecuador’s top trade partner earlier this year and the Trade Ministry says exports to China are increasing at “a rapid rate.” Trade with the U.S., as total of the country’s trade, has been declining in recent years, according to ministry data.