QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s health minister resigned after less than three weeks in office, the Andean country’s government said on Friday, as prosecutors investigate allegations of favoritism in the deployment of vaccines against COVID-19.
Surgeon Rodolfo Farfan was appointed Minister of Health on March 1. Reuters could not reach Rodolfo Farfan for comment on Friday. He has not been charged with wrongdoing.
Rodolfo Farfan replaced Juan Carlos Zevallos, who resigned at the end of February when he was under investigation after taking part in a vaccination campaign at a retirement home where his mother resides.
Rodolfo Farfan resigned after police raided the health ministry and a hospital in the capital Quito as part of an investigation.
In a statement, the government said it was ready to cooperate with the investigation.
Accusations of nepotism in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have sparked political unrest in several South American countries, including Ecuador, Peru and Argentina.
Official data shows that Ecuador administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 120,000 people. Authorities say they have made arrangements to purchase 20 million doses to immunize 60% of the population over the age of 18 by the end of the year.
President Lenin Moreno, along with his wife and 10 people who provided medical care to the president, have been vaccinated, according to the government statement.
(Alexandra Valencia and Luc Cohen; French version Camille Raynaud)
