Sancti Spíritus/Since she felt the first joint pains and fever, Moraima crossed herself. With arboviruses spreading through the city of Sancti Spíritus, this elderly woman, 79 years old, knew that long days of discomfort and decay awaited her. Her daughter insisted on going to the hospital where, in addition to having few resources, she came across a surprise this Wednesday: the bathroom closest to the Emergency laboratories has been rented to a private company.
“I had to do a urine test because I have many chronic illnesses and we have to rule out any serious problem,” the retiree tells 14ymedio. After so many years without entering the Guard Corps of the General Camilo Cienfuegos Provincial Hospital, she was shocked by “the unhealthiness of that entire area.” But, just when he expected the worst when he received the sample bottle, he received another surprise. “I thought I was going to have to deal with a dirty, stinky bathroom, but no.”
/ 14ymedio
At the toilet door, two words clarified the new particular management of the narrow cubicle, initially intended only for men but now unisex. “Bathroom rented,” could be read on the improvised handwritten sign. “It was clean, with soap and even a towel,” says Moraima, still amazed. “The man in charge told us that if we didn’t have money, nothing would happen, that we could come in, but of course, we paid him, because it was clear that he had made an effort to keep it presentable.”
Shortly after, the woman from Sancti Spiritus moved to the ultrasound area for another checkup. “It was like going from day to night,” he says. “You couldn’t be there because of the bad smell that came from the bathroom in the hallway, which was very dirty, and to make matters worse there were leaks in the ceiling and we had to stand in a part so that that filthy water didn’t fall on us.” The sanitary filth is shared for three critical services: the Emergency room, X-ray and Intensive Care companions.
“It seems that they haven’t been able to rent that bathroom yet, because it was in disgusting conditions,” recalls the woman who, in the end, chose not to go near the toilet again in the hours she spent waiting for her test. “I don’t know if it makes sense to take care of these services in a hospital, but at least the rented bathroom could be used, it didn’t make you want to run away.”
