In the last few hours, the Departmental Health Secretariat of Quindío closed the outpatient and emergency services of the San Vicente de Salud hospital in Salento, which currently has only ambulance service, due to health problems and the lack of personnel that had been registered for several weeks.
The decision was made, according to Yenny Alexandra Trujillo Alzate, after having received multiple complaints from citizens, institutions and councillors, and therefore ordered the visit of the Inspection, Monitoring and Control group of the Secretariat, which verified the conditions of the establishment and staff, the availability of supplies and the provision of services in the medical center.
“We find inconsistencies and we have to act because we cannot allow someone's life and health to be put at risk. It was closed due to health situations and lack of personnel, supplies and medicines,” the official told the newspaper El Tiempo.
The inspection revealed shortcomings and inconsistencies, so the immediate and temporary closure of the institution was determined. In addition, the Trujillo secretariat announced that the network for the provision of health services has been activated, with the support of neighbouring municipalities and the EPS, to meet any needs that may arise on this front during the next few hours in Salento.
And it is that, according to citizen complaints, since last November hospital waste has been stored in a warehouse, since the contract with the operator of this service was not renewed.
In addition, according to information from El Tiempo, more than a year ago the washing machine was damaged and one of the cleaners performs the work of disinfecting sheets in its own home, since they do not have basic supplies such as soap and alcohol and there is currently no manager.
According to Caracol Radio, Councilman Jaime Arias stated that there is no administrative will to intervene establishing effective solutions.
“There are no answers from the municipal administration, there are no administrative will to deal with this problem that has been going on for a long time. We learned that hospital waste has been accumulating for 5 months and that generates a public health situation,” said Councilor Arias.
For his part, according to Caracol Radio, Deputy Luis Carlos Serna warned that the worst decision that the departmental administration can make is to close the healthcare center because it directly affects users and visitors, in addition to stressing that it is not possible for an iconic municipality for departmental tourism to not have a hospital in good conditions.
On Wednesday, April 20, citizens of the municipality held a march with some local representatives to demand that both the municipal administration and the governorate of Quindío be cared for, in addition to asking that health personnel have guarantees to carry out their work.
“We did not have appointments for more than 15 days, hospital waste has been dammed there for 5 months, which creates a risk for the people who work there,” said Rodolfo Herrera Carillo, user representative and leader of the demonstration, according to Pulzo.
Likewise, Luz Enith Escobar, a resident of the municipality and participant in the mobilization, said that: “The hospital comes from bad to worse, there are no resources anymore, there are no materials to work with.”
For the authorities of the municipality, headed by Mayor Beatriz Díaz, the visit of the Government of Quindío and the determination of the closure of the hospital was a surprise.
However, the hospital crisis is not new, nor is it something that has been shaped in recent months, according to a testimony collected by El Tiempo by the citizen leader of Salento, Gloria Helena Ospina, who denounced that the crisis in this hospital has been going on for years, but it worsened in recent weeks.
“It has always come with shortcomings, but now there are no sheets. I collected money with some friends and a lady helped us make the sheets, there are no blankets, no covers, no gloves, nothing.”
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