Cancer patients in Paraguay protest cold, lack of medicine

Patients battling cancer at the Regional Hospital of Ciudad del Este are demanding action from authorities, citing a severe lack of medicines, supplies, and basic facilities. They describe facing the "cruelty of cancer" alongside the "indifference of authorities," with politicians accused of having "cold hearts" and failing to address their needs.

Forced to seek help from the press due to unfulfilled promises, these patients are struggling with infrastructure problems and a scarcity of essential items. The Association of Oncological Patients is appealing for public solidarity to alleviate their suffering. Currently, they urgently need a waiting room, as they must endure long hours exposed to the elements for consultations and chemotherapy sessions.

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We suffer from the lack of a decent waiting room; we are exposed to the cold and rain. We cannot suspend chemotherapy due to low temperatures or precipitation because cancer does not wait.

Rosmary Estigarribia, a patient and association member, lamented the difficult conditions. "We suffer from the lack of a decent waiting room; we are exposed to the cold and rain. We cannot suspend chemotherapy due to low temperatures or precipitation because cancer does not wait," she stated. She also highlighted the dilapidated state of the ward, the lack of essential medicines and equipment like the CT scanner, which delays treatments.

Estigarribia criticized politicians for prioritizing campaign spending on posters and banners over investing in the hospital. "As this winter is, the heart of those authorities is cold, because they only think about themselves and about gaining power to then forget about us," she declared. The patients are accepting donations of cleaning supplies, blankets, and hats, as well as financial contributions to purchase necessary items. Alto Paraná, she noted, feels forgotten by health authorities, with long-promised projects like the Gran Hospital del Este remaining unfulfilled.

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As this winter is, the heart of those authorities is cold, because they only think about themselves and about gaining power to then forget about us.