Cali, Colombia – At the University Hospital of the Valle Evaristo Garcia, health workers in blue scrubs moved briskly through the courtyard on Wednesday, beneath a white facade split by deep fissures – a stark reminder of the devastating earthquake that struck the west of the country on Monday. The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported at least 273 deaths and 3,800 injured, with 377 still missing, representing a critical three-day rescue window. The magnitude 7.4 earthquake, centered west of Cali, caused widespread destruction, impacting at least 100,000 people, and has left a trail of devastation across the region, triggering a state of emergency in Valle del Cauca province. Carlos Naranjo, a general practitioner at the hospital, stated that 50% of the facility was damaged, with extensive structural damage including partially collapsed walls and ceilings. ‘There is extensive structural damage; some walls are no longer stable, some ceilings have collapsed, and it is still dangerous to walk through,’ he told Al Jazeera. With most of the hospital off-limits, medical staff are now required to treat only those requiring immediate resuscitation, a significant strain on resources. The facility is one of four major hospitals damaged and forced out of operation, with six clinics also impacted. Amid an influx of injured individuals, city authorities on Monday warned that public hospitals in Cali, home to two million people, were at 100% capacity and declared a ‘red alert for hospitals’ there. Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city and the capital of the Valle del Cauca province, is one of the worst-affected areas, with the city averted disaster despite the collapse of key health institutions by enacting a strategy to boost the capacity of the institutions less affected by the earthquake, officials said. German Escobar, Cali’s public health secretary, confirmed this, stating that the city had implemented a plan to create ‘expansion zones,’ utilizing operating rooms that were previously not in use and recovery areas – where patients go after surgery – that were partially or fully closed before the earthquake. These expansion zones largely involve temporary field clinics, relying on volunteer medical personnel. The hospital was forced to relocate patients after a partial collapse, with an ambulance lying crushed by fallen debris, with a buckled ‘Emergency Room’ sign hanging loosely above it. ‘The situation is now stable,’ Escobar said. He noted that while there is still stress on the healthcare system, particularly for patients with chronic illnesses struggling to access medications, the threat of hospitals being overwhelmed and unable to attend to those in need has now been contained. ‘Unless another major mass event occurs that overwhelms emergency and inpatient services, the system should be fully stabilised,’ he added. The health secretary credited the recovery of Cali’s hospital system to successful coordination between government officials, relief organisations, and volunteers. Relief efforts also depended on vast resources and manpower from civil society organisations. Ricardo Castillo, an army veteran volunteering as a nurse at another collapse site in Cali, described a similar mobilisation. ‘The work of the people in charge of all this has been spectacular,’ he said. Beyond protocol, rescue workers were spurred to work through the night by a sense of duty. ‘Even though your body often tells you, ‘I want to rest’, the adrenaline and the desire to help keep you from doing so,’ explained Zapata. The quake’s timing and location – just weeks after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck neighboring Venezuela on June 24 – has prompted comparisons between the two countries’ responses. The scale of the disaster in Venezuela was far greater than in Colombia, with over 6,000 killed. Venezuela’s government has faced sharp criticism over its response, with survivors saying help never arrived in the crucial first hours and days. Civilians led much of the relief effort, especially in the first two days, while delayed orders from senior military commanders and widespread confusion hampered the deployment of troops, according to media reports. “It is inevitable to compare the responses of both countries,” said Marianella Herrera, Director of the Caracas-based Venezuelan Health Observatory. “In one country, there is clearly a much more coordinated and coherent response, while in the other – which is, of course, Venezuela – the response is much more fragmented from an institutional standpoint.” Herrera noted a great deal of solidarity and support from the Venezuelan population, but she blamed inadequate coordination within the country’s health system for the comparatively poor response to the tragedy. While Herrera noted a great deal of solidarity and support from the Venezuelan population, she blamed inadequate coordination within the country’s healthcare system for the comparatively poor response to the tragedy. While Herrera noted a great deal of solidarity and support from the Venezuelan population, she said, “The lack of organisation and leadership in the Venezuelan healthcare system exacerbates a situation that calls for a well-coordinated and robust healthcare system.” Herrera added that while the crisis was a significant event, it was not unexpected. “The earthquake’s timing and location – just weeks after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck neighboring Venezuela on June 24 – has prompted comparisons between the two countries’ responses,” she said. The crisis is far from over. With dozens still missing in the city and more than 500 officially recorded as missing nationwide, health workers say the emergency is unlikely to ease anytime soon. Emergency workers are still calling for all the help they can get. ‘In these situations, there is no such thing as too much,’ said Castillo. The quake’s timing and location – just weeks after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck neighboring Venezuela on June 24 – has prompted comparisons between the two countries’ responses. The crisis is far from over. With dozens still missing in the city and more than 500 officially recorded as missing nationwide, health workers say the emergency is unlikely to ease anytime soon. Emergency workers are still calling for all the help they can get. ‘In these situations, there is no such thing as too much,’ said Castillo.”
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Source: Al Jazeera
