The Diplomat
The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) has sent medical supplies to Honduras, at the request of the Government of this country, to alleviate the emergency situation resulting from the fire that completely destroyed the only public hospital in Roatán on 19 April.
The shipment, made this past Monday, consists mainly of medical supplies necessary for the operating room to function, as well as basic supplies and medications to care for the patients undergoing surgery.
The plane carrying the humanitarian cargo, made up of six pallets and with a total weight of 854 kilograms, took off from the Torrejón de Ardoz air base (Madrid), where the AECID maintains a stock of basic medical and humanitarian action material, prepared to act in the event of any emergency outside European borders.
Honduras continues to face important challenges in terms of inequalities between the population living in rural and urban areas, which translate into a disparity in access to quality health. Likewise, the need to improve interconnectivity, the distribution of the electrical network and access to drinking water are especially complex challenges in the department of Islas de la Bahía.
The municipality of Roatán centralizes the public services of the Bay Islands archipelago, one of the eighteen departments of the Republic of Honduras. It is precisely in Roatán where the public hospital that served the population of the department was located; more than 92,000 people. The fire consumed approximately 95% of the structure and affected 100% of the hospital’s medications, equipment and supplies.
