AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Letter of the 3 Bishops of Chocó to the President to demand adequate health care

Wednesday, 24 February 2016 politics healthcare bishops local churches poverty

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Quibdo (Agenzia Fides) - The three Colombian dioceses of Quibdo, Istmina-Tado and Apartado and 68 social organizations of Chocó department, sent a letter to the President of the Republic, Juan Manuel Santos, to complain about the shortage of specialist doctors and general medicine.
The Bishop of Quibdo, His Exc. Mgr. Juan Carlos Barreto, asked why a province with 500,000 inhabitants does not have a third-level hospital and the only one that exists, is second level, and is in poor condition. "To get specialized care you have to go to other provinces in the country. The hospital of Quibdo, which is of second level, is in poor condition. We do not have specialized services", stressed the Bishop in a statement sent to Fides. According to Mgr. Barreto, lack of water and sanitation in Chocó make local residents vulnerable, who have more and more diseases, and high infant mortality rates.
The letter to President Juan Manuel Santos was delivered on February 12, but there is still no answer. The 2-page document calls for the intervention of the Superintendence of Health. (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 24/02/2016)