Some Mexicans 'prefer to die at home'
Published: 11:09 AM,Sep 22,2020 | EDITED : 03:05 AM,May 05,2024
By the time 61-year-old Mexican mechanic Martin Urdiain finally decided to go to the hospital to seek treatment for the coronavirus, it was already too late. He died the next day.
When Urdiain and his wife fell ill, they chose to stay at their home in Mexico City rather than put their trust in the creaking public health system.
After their symptoms worsened, they even bought two mechanical ventilators for $3,400 instead of going to the hospital.
'He was suspicious because he saw on the news about the overflowing hospitals, and poor care, but in the end, he felt worse and finally went,' Urdiain's brother Alfredo told AFP.
Urdiain died on June 17, while his wife recovered without hospitalization.
In Mexico, it is common to hear of people choosing to fight the virus on their own at home, sometimes refusing to be taken to hospital by paramedics.
The government has recognized that the health system has suffered from years of neglect, but says it is working to improve standards.
When the pandemic began, Mexico had a shortage of 200,000 doctors and 300,000 nurses, prompting the health ministry to embark on a major hiring spree.
It also scrambled to refurbish a thousand hospitals and buy supplies with an investment of $1.9 billion.
- 'I'll never return' -
- 'Many rumors' -