|
Monday 27 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
Alajuela Hospital On
Life Support
The new and modern San
Rafael de Alajuela
hospital is sick. The
us$40 million dollar
building located in the
south side of downtown
Alajuela is awesome on
the outside, but, on the
inside, it is another
story.
Residents of Alajuela
waited 23 years for a
new hospital that opened
its doors four years
ago.
Today, CCSS hospital is
plagued with structural
problems, leaks, lack of
staff and closed surgery
rooms that leave
patients waiting and
waiting.
The hospital is a public
regional medical centre
operated by the Caja
Costarricense de Seguro
Social (CCSS) - social
security - and was built
to meet the needs of the
650.000 residents of
Alajuela.
However, all that
Alajuelenses got is a
beautiful building on
the exterior, but
nothing to say about
better medical care. In
fact, only 15 days ago
patients were eating
soup that was filled
with rain water, after a
leak was discovered that
also forced the closing
of surgery at the
hospital.
Some have come to
compare to a beggar all
dressed up.
James Mendoza Berrocal,
representing the
hospital workers said
that any employee can
give testimony to the
rain water in the soup
and all the other
problems at the
hospital.
This is nothing new,
explains Berrocal. In
addition, the workers
representative tells of
the staff shortage at
the hospital, where CCSS
authorities had promised
700 new jobs, but only
345 positions filled,
since the hospital
opened its doors.
Berrocal added that
there is nothing unusual
to see patients, in this
modern hospital, to wait
for days to get medical
attention, even in the
emergency rooms.
The hospital's medical
director, Francisco
Pérez, supports the
claims by the hospital
workers, saying that
there simply is no staff
to attend all the
patients. In addition,
Pérez, complains of
faulty medical
equipment, equipment
that was purchased and
installed by the Spanish
consortium,
Obrascón-Huarte-Laín-Expansión
Exterior.
Currently the CCSS is in
the middle of a legal
process against the
consortium because of
equipment that never
worked from day one and
other equipment that has
broken down.
The CCSS administration
promise that all the
problems at the hospital
will be solved within
six months.
Rosa Climent, a CCSS
medical manager, says
that between now and
April 2009, studies will
be carried out to
determine the needs of
the hospital to meet the
demand.
Climent promises
substantive improvements
by April. |
