Bolivian Health Minister arrested in ventilator pricing probe

 Not only in Panama -Bolivian police arrested Health Minister Marcelo Navajas on Wednesday as part of investigations into the overvalued purchase of 179 Spanish ventilators for patients with COVID-19, a head of the institution reported.

Navajas “is being apprehended in nySpecial Force to Fight Crime] in the city of La Paz,” said the unit’s commander, Colonel Iván Rojas, a day after Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez ordered to investigate the questioned purchase for “possible corruption.”

Two other health officials are also detained by the police. Because the purchase of the 179 fans for almostv$5 million dollars was made with financing from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), two employees of the international organization have been called to testify.

Bolivia acquired the Spanish manufacturing equipment through  at a unit price of $27,683, but later it became known that the company offers them for between 9,500 euros and 11,000 euros ($10,312 to $11,941).

The scandal began last weekend with the claim of intensive care doctors, who denounced that the machines were not suitable for intensive care units in Bolivian hospitals. Then reports emerged that a premium had been paid.