Doctors and dentists from the US Navy hospital ship ‘USNS Comfort’ will provide treatment to thousands in Colombia. Among them are Venezuela migrants who have fled their country due to the severe economic crisis.
The US Navy staff last week treated approximately 5.400 patients including 131 who had surgery, over the period of five days in Turbo, a city near the jungle border with Panama, according to Reuters.
Moreover, it is estimated that 2.500 patients will be seen and treated by the US Navy in Riohacha through Friday, a city placed 91 kilometres from the border with Venezuela.
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The majority of the patients that were pre-screened by local authorities, are to be treated in a two clinic set-up in schools. In addition, those in need of a surgery will be taken to the ship itself, which is anchored far offshore, by a helicopter. However, a big number of surgeries need an often follow-up that can not be performed on the ship. That’s why, the patients will be referred back to local authorities.
A majority of Venezuelans have abandoned their country due to economic crisis. As Reuters stated, Colombians, including the indigenous Wayuu, are asking for health care since in Colombia the health care system is overcrowded and causes major delays in patients’ treatment. The Venezuelans have pressured the already troubled Colombian healthcare system, especially in border cities. To this result, patients may wait for a proper health care for a month.
Colombia has already received approximately one million Venezuelan migrants. Yet, it is believed that it will host about four million migrants by 2021, as stated by the government. Many are those that cross the country’s land border without documentation, headed to other Latin American countries like Ecuador and Peru.
Moreover, the United Nations pledged $9.2 million to help Venezuela, where there is a crucial shortage concerning food and medicine. As a result, these two factors cause an unprecedented increase on hunger and preventable diseases.
Doctors and dentists from the US Navy amongst the rest of the patients, treated a five-year-old, named Kamila, who was born 30 weeks prior, weighing 900 grams. She was born with kidney problems and cerebral atrophy.
