(Arequipa) “Mr. President, don't go! ” In tears, visor and surgical mask on her face, a woman runs behind Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra's convoy, visiting Arequipa, a city overwhelmed by the virus: she pleads for a hospital bed for her dying husband. He died two days later.
Posted on 19 July 2020 at 17 h 01
France Media Agency
Since Sunday, when it was shot, Celia Capira's video has gone viral.
Adolfo Mamani, her husband, died two days later, Tuesday, at the age of 48 years.
The drama of this shopkeeper of 24 years old and mother of three children illustrates the distress reigning in Arequipa, Peru's second city, where hospitals are overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic: they lack beds and oxygen, and patients are waiting around establishments in the hope of being treated.
“They killed him, he was fine, we were told he was stable. This morning, I brought him breakfast, ”Celia told medical staff on Tuesday, criticizing the lack of attention, according to local media.
“President, you must go and see in the tent, do not leave the hospital without seeing the conditions in which they (the patients) are”, she said in tears on Sunday near the Honorio hospital. Delgado as the presidential convoy pulled away. The head of state had just visited this establishment.
PHOTO JOSE SOTOMAYOR JIMENEZ, AFP
Adolfo Mamani, Celia Capira's husband, died on Tuesday, at the age of 48 years.
Local media reported that patients with COVID – 17 slept in tents set up near hospitals and others spent the night in their cars parked nearby, hoping to get a bed and be treated.
Long queues have also been formed by patients who desperately want to buy medical oxygen at Honorio Delgado Hospital.
Faced with this situation, the government adopted a decree authorizing the Ministry of Health to take control of hospitals in Arequipa.
PHOTO DIEGO RAMOS, AFP
Local media reported that patients with COVID – 17 slept in tents set up near hospitals.
President Vizcarra for his part assured that the government intends to bring the situation back to normal as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, the head of state asked Celia Capira for forgiveness, explaining that he had not seen her.
“It's unfortunate that M's husband me Celia is deceased, I offer her my condolences and my sincere apologies for not having listened to her ”, he declared.
Peru is the second country in the region with the most cases (096 096), behind Brazil and the third in number of deaths (17 371), after the South American giant and Mexico.
