The “A” of the large sign that indicates the arrival to the emergency area no longer exists The lack of mosaics in the central corridor of the Hospital Regional Marcelino Velez Santana represents a fall risk for the hundreds of patients who meet every day at this health center located in Herrera, West Santo Domingo.
The cracked paint on the cornices of the old building, whose operations began on January 12, 2003, warns of excess moisture in the ceiling. The floors are not neat or polished.
The rust on some silver metal chairs keeps people waiting to be served company. Its awnings have lost their bright green color, hidden under a brown layer of dust.
These details that, at first glance, attract attention evidencing carelessness, contrast with the conditions of the building inaugurated in July 2018, where ceilings and mosaics are observed in very good condition, comfortable blue armchairs and a colorful mural that welcomes visitors. visitors.
Despite the conditions of the physical plant, patients interviewed by Free Journal They agreed that the hospital center has “excellent” doctors and provides better service than other hospitals in the public network.
Elijah Family, 47, had all her tests ready and all she needed to do was make an appointment to have a lipoma operation on the back of her head. The man reported that, upon noticing his lump, he initially began to treat himself in the hospital Francisco Moscoso Puello, but he was not comfortable with the service, especially because of how far apart the appointments were and three months ago he changed his hospital.
“The service is good and it is closer to me”, said the resident in Manoguayabo.
Family highlighted the system via WhatsApp offered by the hospital to request appointments and that he was able to undergo all his studies, including an MRI, “without fighting.”
Jennifer Carrasco arrived with her 10-year-old daughter straight to the emergency room. The minor had three days with a fever and a severe headache.
According to Carrasco, during the height of the pandemic she was hospitalized for COVID-19 and the panorama in the hospital It was very different, since at that time it was crowded, although in the same way, she specifies that they treated her well during the seven days that she was admitted.
“I am very pleased, they are providing better services. At least in the area where I was, everything was very quiet, very hygienic, better than a clinic right now. I called my sister and told her that, now, I don’t know how to tell you in consultations, ”said the mother while she waited for the results of the minor’s tests.
Sandy Victoriano took her 11-year-old son to his pediatrician.
“The service here is excellent, I can’t complain. Some things need to be improved, but it is a management issue, for example, it is not necessary to make this queue to bill after a query. This building (the oldest) should not be so dilapidated and wait for time to fix it, otherwise there always has to be permanent maintenance, but the staff here, for me, is better than a clinic”argued the father.
Victoriano confessed that he is a regular visitor to the hospital and on previous occasions he has had to do the indicated analyzes in other laboratories due to lack of reagents.
For Yudelki Solorín, his visit to the Marcelino Velez It was the first after the start of the pandemic. The woman assured that the billing process for a gynecological appointment was fast and she attributed it to the fact that, having private insurance, a different box corresponds to patients affiliated with the National Health Insurance (Senasa).
“The service is fine, now they call you through a microphone, public and private patients are separated, they give you a ticket at the entrance to stand in line. Appointments serve you excellently on WhatsApp and when they are going to open a record for you, they give it to you at once. He is very organized. Right now it is excellent, ”said Carmen Javier, who accompanied her mother to a consultation in the Mental Health department.
Previously, Carmen consulted at the hospital Father Billini, and according to what he says, the time it took to be seen “was really long”, sometimes having to wait up to five hours.
The resident at 12 de Haina says that the waits at the Marcelino are only longer when the doctors have an emergency and they must pause the consultations and if the appointment is at 2:00 in the afternoon, you have to arrive at 11:00 in the morning to be able to bill.
