Hurricane stresses health care system
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Of all the problems unleashed by Hurricane Maria, which roared over the island Sept. 20 as a Category 4 hurricane, the plight of overtaxed hospitals is one of the most worrying for officials grappling with recovery efforts.
The health system in the U.S. territory was already precarious, with a population that is generally sicker, older and poorer than that of the mainland, long waits and a severe shortage of specialists as a result of a decade-long economic recession.
In Maria’s wake, hospitals and their employees are wrestling with the same shortages of basic necessities as everyone else. There are people who are unable to keep insulin or other medicines refrigerated. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to the tropical heat as widespread power outages mean no air conditioning. And amid the widespread disruption, it’s often difficult to get kids to a doctor.
On Saturday, authorities evacuated dozens of patients at one hospital in the capital of San Juan after its backup generator failed. They were taken to other nearby hospitals already struggling with an overflow of patients.
Meanwhile medicines are running low and obtaining fuel is an ongoing struggle, said Dr. David Lenihan, president of Ponce Health Sciences University, the only medical clinic currently serving southern Puerto Rico.
“If these things start deteriorating, there’s a significant amount of lives at risk,” he said. “We’re providing care, but it’s not optimal care.”