Public Hospitals

Public hospitals across Honduras are canceling scheduled surgeries due to shortages of essential anesthetics like midazolam, fentanilo, and propofol, five months after Congress approved a health emergency declaration and a 500-million-lempira (about $20 million) trust fund to address the surgical backlog.

An analyst from the justice-advocacy group ASJ warns that Honduras's public hospitals face persistent delays in acquiring medicines and reducing surgical backlogs, citing slow budget execution and administrative bottlenecks that risk patient frustration after months of waiting.

A civil-society organization is calling for proceeds from the presidential aircraft's sale—over L137 million (about $5.5 million)—to be spent on medicines and hospital improvements to ease shortages in the public health system.

Honduras's Medical College president says public hospitals face critical shortages of fentanyl, medications, laboratory supplies, and surgical materials that have forced suspension of surgeries and left patients paying out of pocket for necessary materials.

Hospital Atlántida in La Ceiba is experiencing dangerous power outages during surgeries because its backup generator is broken, leaving operating rooms dark during procedures.

Honduras's Medical Association rejected claims by Vice President–designate María Antonieta Mejía linking doctors to corruption and medicine shortages in public hospitals, demanding she provide evidence within 72 hours or issue a public apology.

About 500 public-sector physicians are protesting unpaid salaries stretching two to five months back and demanding reinstatement of colleagues they say the government fired, causing partial service cuts across Honduras's public hospitals.

Honduras's public health network carried out 1,854 elective surgeries across 29 hospitals in May, clearing 49% of the backlog of patients awaiting non-emergency procedures, the Health Ministry said.

Health Ministry data show 3,271 colon cancer cases were recorded in Honduras between 2015 and 2025, with 2025 marking the highest single-year total at 446 cases, as patients also face chronic shortages of drugs and supplies in public hospitals.