Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back tomorrow and I will give it to you" -- when you already have it with you.
Proverbs 3:27-28
Healthcare in public institutions is provided free of charge to the Honduran people by the government. Today we toured Hospital Escuela, the largest hospital in the country, and Hospital San Felipe, the oldest hospital in the country. Both of our hospital visits were incredibly eye-opening, and the conditions in both hospitals were unlike anything that we had ever seen or imagined.
Hospital Escuela is the academic medical center of the country, so it has medical, dental, and nursing schools attached to it. The hospital has 1000 beds, but most of the rooms have 6-8 beds in them, with no privacy curtains. We didn't see a single computer in the areas of the hospital that we toured, and all of the documentation is done on paper charts. Walking through the halls, we saw leaky ceilings, uneven floors, and other conditions that none of us have ever seen in a hospital.
In Hospital Escuela, we got to see the maternity ward, and the pediatric emergency room, ICU, and triage area. In the 58-bed maternity ward, the new mothers are only allowed to stay for 24 hours post-delivery before they have to leave the hospital to make room for more patients. In the pediatric ER, we saw premature babies, kids with dengue fever, and everything inbetween. Overall, it was pretty heartbreaking to see the rough conditions of the hospital, patients with severe medical conditions, and the obvious disparities between the public Honduran healthcare and the American institutions that we are used to. At the end of our visit, we had the opportunity to lay hands on the head nurse and pray for her and the entire hospital, which was pretty awesome!
After lunch, we went to Hospital San Felipe, where our tour was led by a few of the hospital board members. Even though Hospital San Felipe is still a public institution, it was in much better shape than Hospital Escuela. We learned that Hospital San Felipe charges a small fee for certain services, such as deliveries. Since Hospital San Felipe has the only adult oncology unit in the country, we spent a lot of time seeing the patient rooms and treatment facilities. Although the hospital is the only place with treatment for cancer, one of the radiation machines was broken, and the chemotherapy room was completely empty because they simply do not have any of the chemo medications that would be used for treatment. As a result, most of the patients are in a lot of pain, but the hospital doesn't have any pain medications either. It was very frustrating to realize that many of the patients weren't able to really get the care they needed, because of the immense lack of resources.
Overall, today was a really difficult day, but it was also a very eye-opening experience. By witnessing the reality of the extreme poverty that is rampant in Honduras, we've learned so much more to be incredibly grateful for what we have at home. We're happy to share more with you about this experience when we return!
Uneven floors at Hospital Escuela. The patients also do their laundry in the hospital--it was hung out to dry!
Group photo with Patrona, the head nurse of Hospital Escuela.
Group photo overlooking Tegucigalpa.
