The thermometer read 13°C on the morning of this Saturday (16) when reporter Osmar Henry toured the improvised shelter at the General Hospital of San Lorenzo, known as Calle'i. Under an old tarp, with tears through which wind and humidity enter, dozens of relatives of hospitalized patients tried to keep warm.
Nestorina Martínez, who has been accompanying her mother for eight days, was preparing hot water for mate. “Water also comes in when it rains,” she said. Wilma González, who spent Friday night there with her cousins to care for an aunt, vented: “The truth is it’s pitiful. We shouldn’t be like this. We deserve a dignified place.”
Ignacia Romero traveled eight hours from Pedro Juan Caballero to stay by her son’s side, who underwent surgery for appendicitis and went through intensive care before being transferred to the ward. After 15 days in the shelter, she became emotional: “I don’t know if I can hold out much longer, because I’m also sick.” Despite the cold, she acknowledged the solidarity of the other relatives, who brought “comforts.”
The shelter’s conditions include mattresses on pallets, torn blankets, and seats “recycled” from offices. The structure is the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Health, which, according to reports, does not provide basic items, forcing families to buy what is needed for the hospitalized. The forecast for the coming days indicates a slight rise in temperature, but on Monday the low should drop again to 11°C.