Santiago.- Residents of the Santa Lucía sector, in the Santiago Oeste municipal district, protested this Thursday in front of the community’s First Level Center (CPN) to denounce the alleged deterioration of health services and demand urgent intervention from the Ministry of Public Health due to the lack of medical and nursing staff.
With banners and slogans such as “Public Health, intervene now”, “We need compliance with schedules” and “Health is a right”, the protesters stated that the deficiencies in the center’s operation are affecting dozens of families who depend on that establishment to receive primary care.
Among the main complaints, they reported that doctors do not comply with the established schedule. They stated that many patients arrive from 8:00 in the morning and, an hour later, they still cannot find health professionals to be attended to.
Likewise, they indicated that after 2:00 in the afternoon the center is left without doctors, which limits access to consultations and forces patients to seek care elsewhere.
Residents also stated that the center permanently has only one doctor, an insufficient number to meet the demand of patients. In addition, they requested that intern doctors remain continuously at the facility, since, as they explained, they currently only come twice a week to carry out home visits.
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Another of the main complaints is the absence of nursing staff. According to the protesters, the center has not had a nurse for two weeks, a situation that has led to the suspension of essential services such as vaccinations, blood pressure monitoring, and first aid.
During the protest, community leaders warned that if health authorities do not provide an immediate response, they could close the Primary Care Center as a pressure tactic.
“If the services are not going to be offered, it makes no sense to keep the center open with only a promoter and a janitor. We need doctors, nurses, and for the service hours to be respected,” stated community leader Rosa Silvestre, spokesperson for the movement.
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The demonstration concluded with the collective demand of “We want a solution for Santa Lucía!”, while residents reiterated their call to the Ministry of Public Health to appoint the necessary personnel and guarantee continuous, quality health service in that community.
