The President says this Hospital is "acceptable", to whom we ask?
British American Foundation Fights for the Human Right to have safe Medical
Dr Jose Angel Hernandea O. Medico Encargado Tel:(507)-2996219
San Jose Hospital, La Palma, Darien Panamá or a hospital located in war torn Syria!
President Varela classes “San Jose hospital” as acceptable, The President has done nothing in his last five years for the people of Darien compared to the affluent areas of Panama! The Embera are still marginalised.
Going back as far as 2009 this hospital has been in haemorrhage mode, but we at British American Foundation filmed this hospital showing the serious failings by previous governments, including the present administration, still no serious support, or help has been forth coming.
We at Panama Human Rights.com ask the question, why these Panamanian's voices are not being heard ! they are treated not as people, but as discarded garbage.The people of Darien had no choice, or no control over where they were born, but they are now paying the price for being born or ignored under the Panamista government. Yet they are citizens entitled to equal rights and opportunities
The Darien region is so hostile to humans, the jungle holds many dangerous animals and plants, but for the Emberea Wounnan tribe, who live in this remote tidal area,there is a huge problem when they have to navigate rivers and swamps to get to hospital, sometimes carrying their young, they are penniless, homeless and with no where to go and without any government support, most sleep ruff outside on the streets, the hospital only accepts patients and with no facility for parents.
Below is an example of the treacherous conditions Indians face in making the trek to hospital, some times with fatal consequences, especially when time is not on your side, and suffering with a snake bite.
Well people of Darien your time has come an uprising is on the horizon, you will have your day and a chance to vote, you will be heard, you will have a hospital fit for purpose come May 2019.
5 Meter Long Boa Constrictor Swallowed A Man Whole In The Darien
A huge boa constrictor that was more than 5 meters (16 feet) long swallowed a man whole.
This incident - which has not been confirmed by the authorities - took place in the jungle community of Embera-Wounaan ethnicity, known as Sierpe, in the Darien province.
The incident was reported on 30 January this year, when natives of the community caught the reptile that was moulting or shedding its skin.
At the same time, when they saw the snake in the Darien jungle, they noticed that the lump inside of the snake was shaped like a human being.
The reptile was caught by hunters and taken to the community by more than a dozen men.
The snake measured the length of a "red devil" bus - those that are used in the capital.
When the huge reptile was cut open they found the body of a dark skinned man inside, which was already in an advanced state of decomposition.
All that happened to the amazement of those present.
In order to get to that community one must cross the Santa Barbara river.
After removing the body of the unidentified person, the tribal chiefs proceeded to perform a ritual for the soul of the body, which was later buried.
The community bears the name "Serpie" which in the Embera-Wounaan language means "Snake".
It was learned that when traveling to that place, between the trails in the jungle, one always encounters all kinds of snakes.
After the fact, the rumour about the unusual event ran for three days through all of the Darien communities, and only recently reached the ears of the officers of the State Border Service, a source revealed.
Besides the Indians daily concerns about being attacked by animals, they have the added problem with rebel groups raiding there communities.
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/pages/attachments/2016/02/04/dos-hrr_2014_panama.pdf
There have been multiple conflicts between the government and indigenous groups regarding decisions affecting indigenous land. The Ngabe Bugle and the Naso continued to clash with the government over the issue of hydroelectric plants on territorial lands, and one violent confrontation near the Barro Blanco dam project left four indigenous persons and three police agents injured.
Indigenous communities continued to fight against illegal settlements on their land. No violent clashes involving indigenous people were confirmed.
In February the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Embera-Wounaan on an appeal for constitutional rights violations in a 2011 case pertaining to land issues in the Embera-Wounaan Comarca. In February the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; PANAMA, 24 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014 United States Department of State •Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Rights heard the case of the Guna of Madungandi and the Embera of Bayano against the government for not protecting adequately and effectively the ancestral territories and resources of these groups after the construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1976.
Nevertheless, many indigenous persons misunderstood their rights and failed to employ legal channels when threatened because they did not have an adequate command of the Spanish language.
Societal and employment discrimination against indigenous persons was widespread. Employers frequently did not afford indigenous workers the same basic rights provided by law, such as a minimum wage, social security benefits, termination pay, and job security. Labourers in the country’s sugar, coffee, and banana plantations (the majority of whom were indigenous persons) continued to work in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. Employers were less likely to provide adequate housing or food to indigenous migrant labourers, and indigenous children were much more likely to work long hours of farm labour than non indigenous.
This is what Varels calls acceptable, these Indians who struggle to get to a hospital with snake bites, cancer or infections are then treated in a Syrian styled bombed out hospital in deplorable conditions and limited medication. Indians are the life blood for tourism in Panama’s growing economy and play a vital role in protecting the natural jungle regions of Panama, how can this President sit back as a practising Catholic and allow these human right violation to take place and living only 5 hours away from this hospital, this truly does begs belief to how human this person really is!
Most likely the British American Foundation has delivered more containers to Darien than the president himself, the below PDF show just some of the shipping containers sent to Balboa port in their onward journey to Darien.
Click the below image to view the listing in full:
Most likely the British American Foundation has delivered more containers to Darien than the president himself, the below PDF show just some of the shipping containers sent to Balboa port in their onward journey to Darien.
Hopefully, now reality has set in and you know just how much the President does care about his people and others by reading this site.
You can count on one hand the amount of times he has visited Darien through out his presidency compared to the prosperous side of panama, this type of profiling by a president is totally un Panamanian.
Rio Inglesis Metiti-Darien
Viewing this TVN2 documentary below shows that this government has not provided any substantial help to this neglected community, the main reason for this and other presidents in turning a blind eye to supplying humanitarian aid.
The underlying issue is that this Provence does not contribute its fare share of tax revenue, this regions population contains mainly indigenous communities do not pay tax as they eat what they grow what is left over at the end of a season is usually sold in La Palma to buy basic supplies. All but one of the beds in the hospital shown in the TVN documentary were occupied by Embera and are the ones most affected regarding health. When Indians do arrive, they are in extremely poor health as most of the communities have no funds to trek a long distance to the hospital, so instead rely on their local witch craft doctor for a fix, when the witch doctor fails, the patient arrives in La Palma in serious condition.
Hospital La Palma was not the only recipient of beds, pictured below a delivery of beds going to Llano Bonito, Darien
Poor health is endemic, that’s if they have not already died in their community, undocumented deaths and burials are common and go without any autopsy taking place, or truly knowing the cause of death.
Cementary Mogue Darien
Every hospital bed and child cots shown in the TVN-2 documentary were not provided by the President Juan Carls Varela, or the First Lady, not even the Ministry of Salud, but by myself and every member of the British American Foundation located 3500 miles away, the president lives only 125 miles away.The TVN-2 documentary would have been more damming if we had not replaced all the hospital beds including the nursery, even the chair this Embera lady’s is sitting on was provided by the British American Foundation.
Pictured cots and office supplies donated to San Jose hospital, La Palma. Same cots as shown in TVN-2 documentary - top left. Bottom left is the actual video of the true conditions of La Palma hospital before the British American Foundation was involved.
