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🇵🇦 Panama /Health & Science

Hospital Beds Become Homes for Abandoned Patients in Panama

From TVN Panamá · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Several patients at the Nicolás Solano Hospital in La Chorrera, Panama, are living in hospital beds long after their medical discharge due to abandonment by family.
  • Some patients have been residing in the hospital for up to two years, with the facility becoming their only source of care and companionship.
  • This situation highlights a silent crisis in Panama Oeste, pointing to a lack of adequate shelters and support centers for the elderly and abandoned.

As TVN Panamá, we bring to light a deeply concerning reality unfolding within the Nicolás Solano Hospital in La Chorrera: the plight of patients abandoned by their families, who now call the hospital their permanent home.

That they come to visit me and send me something, like food.

· Laureano Reina ReyesA patient at Nicolás Solano Hospital expresses his wish for family contact and basic necessities.

Laureano Reina Reyes and Román are just two faces of this heartbreaking situation. Their birthdays are spent not with loved ones, but within the sterile confines of hospital rooms. Laureano, admitted for anemia, received medical clearance but had nowhere to go. Román, recovering from an accident, awaits surgery but lacks family support. Their stories, shared from their beds, paint a stark picture of neglect and the desperate need for familial connection.

I need my family to come get me so I can have surgery on my spine.

· RománAnother patient at the hospital describes his need for family intervention to receive necessary medical treatment.

This is not an isolated incident. At least six patients are currently living under similar circumstances, with some enduring this limbo for nearly two years. The hospital staff, acting as a surrogate family, provide care and comfort, but acknowledge the profound sadness of these prolonged situations. One nurse poignantly stated, "We try to give them the support and affection they don't receive from their families. Often, we are their only family."

We try to give them the support and affection they don't receive from their families. Often, we are their only family.

· A nurse at Nicolás Solano HospitalA nurse describes the emotional role hospital staff play for abandoned patients.

This crisis extends beyond the hospital walls, reflecting a systemic failure in Panama Oeste. Social workers and specialists point to a critical shortage of accessible and affordable shelters and care centers for the elderly and those in vulnerable situations. The limited options available are often financially out of reach for families, leaving individuals like Laureano and Román in a state of perpetual waiting. While the Ministry of Social Development has been alerted, the immediate future for these forgotten individuals remains uncertain, a somber testament to a silent epidemic of abandonment.

There was a case of a person who spent four years abandoned until they passed away.

· A healthcare workerHighlighting the extreme duration some patients endure abandonment within the hospital.
About this summary

Originally published by TVN Panamá in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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