Paraguay
Santiago Peña Swears in Isaías Ricardo Fretes Zárate as Head of Public Health
The new minister took office in a ceremony at the Government Palace. According to La Nación Paraguay, he arrives in the post after serving as president of the IPS Board of Directors.
Paraguay’s president, Santiago Peña, swore in Isaías Ricardo Fretes Zárate as the new minister of Public Health and Social Welfare in an event held at the Government Palace, La Nación Paraguay reported.
According to that outlet, the appointment was formalized by Decree No. 6,889, dated September 13, 2026. After the document was read, Fretes Zárate took the oath and his assumption at the head of the health ministry was made official.
According to the publication, before this appointment the official served as president of the Board of Directors of the Instituto de Previsión Social. The ceremony was attended, among others, by the president of the National Congress, Basilio Núñez, and the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Raúl Latorre, as well as civilian, military and police authorities.
La Nación Paraguay said Fretes Zárate holds a doctorate in Medicine and Surgery from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, with a specialization in General Surgery and Coloproctology, and postgraduate training in Public Health, Management and Hospital Administration.
The outlet also highlighted his teaching work at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the UNA and his career in scientific organizations linked to surgery and coloproctology, in addition to leadership roles in the Navy Health Service, the Central Military Hospital, the Armed Forces Health Service and the IPS itself.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
