Overview
- Regional doctors report acute shortages of oncologists and key specialties, sending cancer patients to Chiclayo and Trujillo and leaving the region without radiotherapy or even basic radioiodine therapy.
- SIS transfers in Piura average about 25 soles per enrollee—far below levels clinicians say are needed—driving medicine shortages and out-of-pocket payments for CT scans, ultrasounds and surgical materials.
- Newly built facilities in Chulucanas and Sullana and health centers in Tacalá and Castilla are not fully operating for lack of funds, while Santa Rosa shifted external consults to La Videnita with limited drug availability reported.
- Nationally, a patient advocacy survey indicates more than half of people with cancer have delayed or suspended treatment, and deadlines set by the 2024 oncology care standard are routinely unmet.
- Equipment gaps and maintenance failures compound delays, with only 126 mammographs for 4.7 million target-age women and several machines out of service despite an existing maintenance budget line.