‘We’ve been abandoned’: Pervasive insecurity in health sector

Photo: Kindness

Computers, fans, refrigerators, cables and water meters were stolen from various health care points in the Greater Asunción area. Family health centers are the most common units chosen by criminals due to the lack of police protection.

We can say that these centers are experiencing a pandemic and, in addition to being dedicated to helping the sick, must also take care to monitor and protect all the equipment, artifacts and instruments that are an important part of their work.

USF Saxony Case

This caused the anger of the department’s director, Richard Kennedy, who even said he would take his things and resign. He himself once again mentioned the insecurity he experienced almost every day.

“I’ve been here for five years and it’s always been like this, we file complaints but nothing happens, we’re just abandoned,” he said. “They’re people from the area, drug addicts, drug users, it’s well known. We haven’t recovered anything they’ve stolen from us because they immediately take it and reduce it,” he added.

He mentioned that there is an urgent need to install a police booth that can protect the area as the unit has 14 personnel, most of whom live in the area and see 60 to 70 patients every day.

Kennedy also made it clear that the response he got from the police was that “they didn’t have enough staff,” so he and his staff had to find ways to prevent more cases from happening.

USF Mita’i Case Study

In the municipality of San Lorenzo, the Family Health Unit of the Mitai neighborhood is also living in total anxiety. In fact, a few days ago, white-clad workers reported that less than a month ago, CPUs and printers had been stolen after they had entered through a hole in the roof.

However, this fact is not the first case, since three have already occurred in less than a year. “They have come to us three times, from last year to 2024 so far. They have taken water heaters, refrigerators, cables, computers and fans,” said Rosa Álvarez, an official of the University of South Florida.

She also said that every time an incident occurred, they filed appropriate reports with the police station but soon, the same thieves returned to their adventures and returned to search the location.

USF Barrio San Juan Case Study

Also in San Lorenzo, the San Antonio Community Family Health Department recently had its water meter stolen, causing the agency to lose vital fluids.

“We fell victim to insecurity twice, the last time when we were surprised to find that the Essap water meter had been stolen and water was constantly flowing out,” explained Pablo Ortigoza, a worker on site.

“One block away from the department, drug addicts congregate and usually wake up at that location. The police station is only two blocks away from here, but that doesn’t stop them from committing robberies,” he added.

This should undoubtedly worry the authorities and require them to beef up security around family health centres located in red zones. There is an urgent need to increase the presence of more police officers through patrols.

The drug addicts stole everything from the family health center near Saxony: they took computer equipment and other valuables.

Neighbors decried the growing insecurity in the area and wanted a permanent police presence, not just sporadic… pic.twitter.com/73kuDcfCi1

— NPY Official (@npyoficial) June 26, 2024