Public health system is failing, Cuencanos say; New Year’s is a four-day holiday; Men in drag race on New Year’s Eve; Basic salary increases to $482

Bored?-
50 “viudas” en competencia (50 “widows” in race) – The tradition of the Año Viejo will live on in a different way in Cuenca next miercoles, 31/12, in the La Gloria barrio (av. Loja) <the northern end of the barrio is at San Roque according to a quick Google search> which will be the stage for the Run Viuda (Window Run) 2025. This free event seeks to rescue a popular custom and fuse it with sports. The race will start at 14:00 with about 50 widows who have to comply with strict regulations. They must wear traditional clothing of the widows of the Año Viejo <The ones I’ve seen that shake down drivers at intersections on New Years Eve-day are in drag varying from semi-formal dresses to whatever women’s skirted outfits fit.

Participants in this year’s Run Viuda on New Year’s Eve will be required to wear high heels. The race will begin at 2 on Av. Loja. (El Mercurio)

Although they aren’t as common as they were 10 years ago.>, they have to run in high heels <The minimum heel height should be at least 2″ and more like 3″ to make the race really interesting.>, and present a letter of responsibility. <Like if “she” falls and sprains an ankle — no suing anyone.> They will start in groups of 5. The circuit through the city is 500 meters <short for any kind of race in Cuenca, but then, how many races requires runners wear heels?>, and the final result will be by time. Besides the race, there will be catwalks, animation (?), and recreational activities for the public. Registration for the race is free with limited entries. Call 099 875 4469. <It would be fun to see a gringo contingent, but if you guys have trouble buying regular shoes big enough, what are your chances for finding high heels that fit? Just a hint – sandals are more forgiving if they’re a little too small.>

Curious?-
(De El Mercurio del martes, 16/12) El salario básico subirá, desde enero, a USD 482 (Basic salary to increase to $482 starting in January) – At the 2nd meeting of the Consejo Nacional de Trabajo y Salarios, employers and worker reached an agreement to raise the Salario Básico Unificado (SBU) by $12 in 2026. This is the 1st time in a decade that employers and workers came to an agreement. If the two groups had not reached an agreement by 20/12, the Government could have unilaterally established the new rate. <So will you automatically give your cleaning lady the same percentage raise, which is probably the price of one fancy coffee each week? Or have you not increased her pay since you hired her umpteen years ago? Even social security has gone up in that time.>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 18/12) Feriado el 2 de enero (Holiday on January 2) – With Executive Decree 249, Pres. Noboa made el 2/1/26 a national holiday for both the public and private sectors. The 2/1 will be added to 1/1 making 4 obligatory days of rest ending el 4/1. These days of lost labor are not recoverable.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 19/12) Propuesta de vuelos hacia Perú (Proposal for flights to Peru) – The inauguration of the monument to Mariscal La Mar in the El Molinero park also served to underline the need to strengthen tourism and commerce between Cuenca and north Peru. Mayor Zamora said that enabling flights to Peru is a long-term aspiration and asked consul Rodolfo Hugo Castro to support the opening of this air route when he returns to Lima. Once <or if> finalized, these flights would be added to the direct flights between Cuenca and the Galápagos which officially start in marzo, 2026.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 19/12) Vuelos a Galápagos (Flights to the Galápagos) – From el 31/3/2026, Beginning March, LATAM Ecuador will start flights between Cuenca and Baltra on martes y sábados. Flights to the Galápagos will include a stop in Quito while return flights will be direct to Cuenca. Fares will start at $310.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 19/12) Observatorio: crisis se agrava en IESS (Observatory: Crisis Worsens at IESS) – The Citizens’ Observatory of Health in Azuay reported that the crisis in the “José Carrasco Arteaga” IESS hospital has worsened. In an announcement, it said that after accusations directed at the spokesman for the workers and the president of the IESS Board of Directors, the hospital has experienced a gradual paralysis despite the many efforts made by provincial officials, the hospital administration, and because of the calls for attention by the Observatorio Ciudadano. The situation reflects the lack of responsible personnel in administrative areas for almost 2 months including accounting, which has prevented payment for service and supply providers. Also, the deliveries of pharmaceuticals and centralized supplies were not done in the times established, affecting those patients who needed them. The Observatorio highlighted that the instability generated by these processes stopped any implementation of institutional actions.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 20/12) Salud: diagnóstico reservado (Health: Diagnosis reserved) – The health system is fractured. The results of a survey on Quality of Life and the Perception of how Cuencanos are Doing showed a marked lack of health protection, dissatisfaction with public health services, and an increasing dependence on the private system in spite of its high cost. The survey showed that 60.3% of the population questioned does not have any type of medical insurance. Barely 29% have public coverage (IESS, ISSFA <armed forces<, or ISSPOL <police<), 7.3% have only private insurance, and 3.5% have double coverage.

The study confirmed that access to medical attention depends in a large part on formal employment and economic capacity, leaving the majority that lives in informality outside the health system. The statistics also showed that 52.5% of the affiliates of the public system did not use the system in the past year. Far from interpreting this as an indicator of good health, experts felt it was a signal of no confidence, and barriers to access. When patients couldn’t get an appointment or medications, they would make financial sacrifices and use the private sector.

72.3% of the citizenry were not or only a little satisfied with the public system and only 10% were very satisfied. Insatisfaction was highest among women. Survey respondents said the biggest problems were lack or scarcity of medicines (45.4%) and lack of appointments (35.2%). Corruption as a problem was barely 5.9%.

Edison Moscoso, a constitutional attorney and member of the Observatorio Ciudadano de Salud del Azuay, said this perception is understandable. For the citizenry, the problem is not abstract. It is about not having medicines or getting an appointment today. But he said that corruption and bad management are the origin of the problem. Corruption isn’t only theft. It’s lack of planning, poor management, and not updating medication charts or specialty teams. This slowly kills the system.