What Really Happened in Guatemala

I recently had the chance to travel to La Tinta to meet the hospital staff and the local government who are going to support us while in Guatemala. The trip was very successful in that we were able to meet with everyone we had planned and make arrangements for every component of our project.

It was overcast as we drove along the narrow Polochic Valley and stopped in front of the Hospital. The exterior of the hospital is painted a mild yellow with a pastel orange. People were everywhere, sitting outside the hospital fence, sitting against the hospital wall, sitting inside the hospital waiting room. Mostly K’ek’chi women and children, they wore colorful full skirts and loose blouses and carry their children in blankets that they hang across their backs from their heads.

Soon after arriving we were spotted by a young man and directed into his office. His name is Jerson Valdez and he is the manager of the hospital pharmacy. En route to his office we pass through windowless unlit hallways and pass a man mopping the floor. The hospital hallway is dark without lights and tiled floor is missing several tiles, but the man mops over them anyways.
Jerson knew about our project, but no one knew we were coming. Regardless, he soon had meetings set up with the head nurses, hospital manager, and eventually accompanied us to the mayor’s office. Jerson has volunteered himself to help out with as much as he can and has become our main contact in La Tinta.

The next meeting was with the head nurses: Etel Milian and Carlos Enrique Caal. We discussed training topics that we can have prepared for them in August. I asked when the last time they had received training was, they said not since nursing school. Some of the topics they mentioned were, nosocomial infections, helping the patients leave feeling good about the service received, biohazard training, and first aid.

I also asked them what supplies they would want us to bring down for them. What they mentioned were mainly generalities but nothing specific. “Anything Traumatology or Orthopedics,” they said. They also mentioned sheets and patient robes. When I asked them if they needed more specific items they always said yes. I had the feeling that they didn’t want to say no to anything.

We met next with the hospital manager: Pedro Alvarez Diaz. We met in his office and discussed the patient guest house and began to draw up a design. We discussed materials, location, and funding of the building. “The problem with dry wall is the flooding,” he said as he pointed to a three foot high flood line on the wall next to his desk.

He then gave us a tour of the hospital facilities, kitchen, and future construction site. Pedro offered use of the kitchen to our group while in Guatemala.

We walked outside to where the ambulances were parked. They are Toyota pickup trucks with camper shells, and were only several years old and look very nice from the outside. The inside, on the other hand, contained a mattress on the floor, a sheet, a trash bucket, and a padded bench where the EMT can sit and watch the patient on the floor of the truck.

Pedro mentioned that these ambulances have hundreds of thousands of miles on them, but are still in great shape. He assured us that the ambulance we plan to donate will enjoy the same treatment. “We take care of what we have,” he said.

Pedro showed us the area where we will build. It will be behind the post-natal care building. He then showed us the post-natal care building.

There was an empty space in the middle of the building, and I asked the nurse why it was empty. She told me it will be for the children to play in, but there are no toys yet. I asked if she wanted toys and games for the children. She looked at me surprised and said, “Only if you give them to us.” I laughed and told her that I will see what I can do.

Jerson drove with us down town to the Municipal where we found the Mayor, Roberto Xol Xol, and his Secretary, Estuardo Lemus, and were soon sitting in his office. We introduced ourselves and explained our intentions to donate an ambulance, build a patient guest house, and help train medical personnel. “Excellent,” he said, “This is just what we need. But we have our own emergency service here with an ambulance, might you consider helping us out instead of the hospital?”

This surprised us, and after a moment of talking, he accepted that since we had already coordinated with the hospital it would be better to continue with the plans to support the hospital. We also told him that we are a new organization, and we may be able to come back to help the Municipal.

We discussed funds and the project. The Mayor committed to provide food and lodging for the volunteers, and the hospital committed to supply beds for us. The Mayor also committed to donate labor for constructing the foundation before we come.

So far everything was going very well. We inspected the building where we will stay. It is new, but simple. There are bathrooms and a kitchen, but no showers. I asked if they could convert the kitchen into a shower for us. They assured me that won’t be a problem.

We left La Tinta soon after. The project will be very well received in La Tinta and I thank everyone who has helped with the 9-1-1 Guatemala project in Guatemala and the USA.