Says the dean of the National Medical Chamber Dra. Liliana Cabani
On Sunday evening all doctors in Peru received an email from the dean of the National Medical Chamber in which she described the current state of the healthcare service in dark colours. The government does not have a clear strategy of how to organise all the healthcare institutions. The healthcare budget must immediately be raised by a further 0.5% of GDP (currently the healthcare expenses are 5.5% of GDP). 46.3% of all 6-35-month old children suffer from anaemia. Serious cases of tuberculosis are becoming more frequent and a few outbreaks of measles have also been reported.
What the dean failed to mention, however, is the corruption that is so rife at many public hospitals. Endless waiting lists and long queues are the standard. If you pay a bribe your position in the respective list improves dramatically. It is common practise that doctors who work at public hospitals leave work at lunchtime in order to earn many times more than their salaries in their own private practices.
The fact that our patients pass countless medical institutions on their way to the Hospital Diospi Suyana speaks volumes. A couple of days ago one of the dean’s colleagues Dra. Lucia Angeles visited our missionary hospital. She commented that she rarely found a serving attitude among Peru’s doctors. They focused solely on the money.
