Honduran Coup Government Continues Attack On The Poor With Plan To Seize Indigenous Hospital

Honduran Coup Government Continues Attack On The Poor With Plan To Seize Indigenous Hospital
Posted: August 7, 2009 01:17 PM

Dr. Luther Castillo, who was named "Honduran Doctor of the Year" in 2007 by Rotary International, has just sent out an alert through the non-profit group MEDICC, that he and his staff at the Indigenous Garifuna Community Hospital have received an order from the de facto Honduran government to leave the Hospital and discontinue their work there. The government has announced that it is downgrading the standing of the hospital and will be taking over with "new management."

In the meantime, the de facto government has stopped paying the salary of the staff - which includes locally-trained nurses and 10 physicians - and will no longer guarantee medicines or vital supplies. In spite of this, the Hospital staff have vowed to stay and continue their work, serving the poor in the Garifuna indigenous region of Ionia and surrounding area.

As Dr. Luther Castillo explained to MEDICC, "We will not abandon our people. These are the poorest of the poor, the invisible poor. They are the real victims of the coup." The coup government has made Dr. Castillo's ability to continue his work on behalf of the poor particularly difficult, putting out a warrant for his arrest and capture right after the coup. Yet, Dr. Castillo perseveres.

This act on the part of the Honduran de facto government shows its true intentions in carrying out the coup against President Zelaya - to roll back the modest social reforms Zelaya put in place to alleviate the suffering of the poor in that country.

As MEDICC explains, the Garifuna Community Hospital opened in December of 2007 under an agreement with the government of President Zelaya and in accordance with an International Labor Organization covenant that supports locally-managed health services for indigenous and tribal peoples. According to Dr. Castillo, the hospital has treated 175,000 cases since that time, providing such services as birthing, surgeries, hospitalization, dental care, laboratory tests and other outreach and prevention services. Now, the de facto Honduran government is threatening the lives of the poor in the Ionia coastal department and surrounding area by its move to oust the staff of this hospital.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-kovalik/honduran-coup-government_b_254033.html

Denial of health care is a RW tactic.