The construction of the Aguasay Hospital began in the year 2000 and they promised that it would serve the inhabitants of the four municipalities in Monagas State: Aguasay, Ezequiel Zamora, Santa Bárbara and Cedeño.
By: Correspondent lapatilla.com
There have been several opposition and chavismo (local) governments that have come and gone in the more than 20 years that this building has been in existence, and despite the offers that have been made in recent years, it has not yet been inaugurated.
The type II “Doña Olga Morales” hospital was built in response to the design requirements, based on its location close to the Anzoátegui State, with a radius of influence over populations of more than 100,000 inhabitants, as was stated by former Governor José Gregorio Briceño, who pointed out that in his two government administrations (2004-2012), the healthcare center was equipped with 60 beds, in addition to an internal medicine ward, pediatrics ward, general surgery and gynecology and obstetrics services, plus laboratories, X-rays and dentistry.
The former governor, now in exile, added that the emergency area was designed with spaces to include a burn and shock trauma unit, anticipating attention to possible accidents, given its proximity to oil producing and processing areas.
He stated that the place also has ample parking and enough space for future expansions. At the end of his last administration, he assured that the hospital infrastructure construction had progressed 70%.
In its first years of construction, under the administration of former “Adeco” Mayor Hiromides Pierluissi (AD, Acción Democrática, political party, thus adeco), 90% of the structure had been completed, just when his period ended in 2008. Areas such as emergency and hospitalization were practically ready to serve the people , according to what was expressed by the current Director of the Aguasay Mayor’s Office, Humberto González.
State of the Art Hospital
In the parking lot of the healthcare center, two buses belonging to a public institution were abandoned. Photo Courtesy
When the administration, which lasted more than 12 years, of former Chavista Mayor José Galindo began, on several occasions, together with former PSUVista (PSUV, Venezuela United Socialist Party, Chávez party) governor Yelitze Santaella, it was assured that they had the funds to complete and inaugurate the hospital, including medical supplies and equipment.
The former regional governor and current Minister of Education assured on national television that they would inaugurate the healthcare complex in three months, a promise that she did not keep, since now what remains is a great white elephant.
On one occasion, a staging was carried out in which equipment was delivered to make Nicolás Maduro see that everything was ready to be inaugurated, but as the afternoon passed, beds from hospitalization areas, among other equipment, were removed. Maduro promised that he would go to Aguasay to cut the inauguration ribbon of the healthcare center.
The Director of the Aguasay Mayor’s Office also confirmed that large air conditioning units were stolen by members of the GNB (Bolivarian National Guard) who “protected” the place, a complaint made by the neighbors of the hospital.
In the more than eight years under the former Chavista governor, the alleged progress in the project of this hospital was reported on several occasions through press releases, that spoke of the investment of significant sums of money and the delivery of medical equipment.
Among the information disseminated by the red (PSUV) government, particularly one published in June 2015 stands out in which an investment of almost 83 million Bolívares was announced -at that time- and an advance in the works of 80%.
In the aforementioned press release, it was reported that the project would benefit 11,865 inhabitants of that jurisdiction and other municipalities in the western part of the state. Ms. Santaella affirmed that the hospital center would be one of the most modern in the region, with high-tech equipment and surgical supplies.
The published text stated: “The healthcare center will have observation areas for adults, pediatric emergency ward, shock and trauma ward, nebulization area, pre and post-operative rooms, operating rooms, birthing center, X-rays and administrative offices at the service of all the people of Monagas (…) In this new hospital we are proceeding with the conditioning of exteriors, optimization of the electrical system, mechanical area, medical gases, air conditioners and equipment of the water well to provide good service to the people who come to the medical center…”
Unfulfilled Promises
One of the many promises of Chavismo was shouted to all corners by the president of the state company “Bienes, Obras y Servicios Monaguenses” (Bosmoca), Juan Marcano, who in March 2021 said that before the end of that year “the inhabitants of Aguasay would have a hospital that could service more than 11,000 inhabitants,” according to the local newspaper “El Periódico de Monagas”.
Although in 2015 the former governor Santaella herself indicated that the project was 80% complete, in 2021 the president of Bosmoca stated that the building was only 70% complete.
“Thanks to the resources sent by President Nicolás Maduro and Governor Yelitza Santaella, the Bosmoca company continues the works on hospital infrastructure in Monagas State,” was the official Chavista statement in a press release.
But in September 2020, Alba Santaella, a relative of the then PSUVista governor, presided over the Bosmoca company and announced that together with “Corpoelec” (Electric Utility), “Aguas de Monagas” (Water Utility), the Infrastructure Institute and the Ministry of Public Works, they were “accelerating the construction” of the Hospital de Aguasay. The government official at that time said that the construction of the well and the placement of a drinking water storage tank had been already carried out.
“The organized People’s Power is also a participant in carrying out the works at the Aguasay hospital, it is a project that will last over time and I know that it will be cared for by each of the people who come to the Aguasay healthcare center,” she said while still president of Bosmoca. This was yet another lie from the red regime.
Precarious Healthcare System
After the regional elections of November 21st, 2021, the Chavismo that governed Aguasay for more than 12 years, lost the mayor’s office, and the newly elected opposition mayor, Eduardo Maurera, found a destroyed city hall.
The healthcare system did not escape government laziness and neglect, to the point that the jurisdiction had been without an ambulance for almost eight years, so the transfers and emergencies were made in private vehicles. The locals remember that in some cases, the patients died during the transfer to the Hospital of “Punta de Mata” or Maturín, as a result of the conditions in which they were transported.
The Director of Healthcare of the Mayor’s Office, Rutneidys López, told La Patilla that they received (from the previous administration) a very precarious healthcare system: popular clinics without any type of supplies, an outpatient clinic that only provides first aid and a mayor’s office without any resources to resolve healthcare issues.
She talked about the Olga Morales Hospital and noted that a request was made to inaugurate this hospital, and although they have brought in medical supplies and equipment, “they get lost”, including the stretchers that have now disappeared.
“There was no intention of anything, everything was politicized. Only when elections came, was it that they promised that they were going to inaugurate the hospital, but after that they forgot. There are patients who die, for example, on the road to Santa Bárbara, because healthcare centers do not have the conditions to attend serious emergencies. Not in the popular clinics nor the outpatient clinic, family members must buy everything to receive primary care,” said the healthcare official.
The only ambulance that the town currently has was delivered months ago by the Chavista governor Ernesto Luna and is kept safe in the ambulatory (outpatient clinic). The care center is constantly visited by the local governor to prevent the emergency vehicle from being used to carry out personal errands, as was the case in the previous administration.
Currently there is a municipal clinic where people from remote areas are treated for consultations such as dentistry. The municipality is working to expand this and have a working emergency ward, considering the distance that separates Aguasay from other municipalities. Likewise, they consider creating a clinical laboratory with affordable prices, since there is only one private lab.
Where is the Money?
Among the funds approved by Nicolás Maduro’s regime to finish the Aguasay hospital, the allotment announced in July 2017 stands out when former governor Yelitze Santaella crowed about the approval of just over 2,000 million Bolívares during an inspection of the healthcare center. It is worth remembering that at that time the supposed blockade and the sanctions that the Chavista leaders use as an excuse, had not yet entered into force.
#AHORA ||??Pdte.@NicolasMaduro aprobó Bs. 2.022 millones para la reestructuración del hospital de Aguasay en #Monagas?? pic.twitter.com/gmuuLdfJxA
— VTV CANAL 8 (@VTVcanal8) March 3, 2017
Despite the hyperinflation at the time, the figure mentioned above was a very significant sum of money. However, it is unknown where it was invested in. During the “inspection” of the works, the former Chavista governor reported that before the end of 2017, they would hand over the finished hospital.
“This large-scale project will provide medical assistance not only to the inhabitants of the Aguasay municipality, but also to those of Santa Bárbara. We aspire to make this healthcare center available to the people before the end of this year,” were the words of Santaella, days before the elections for the fraudulent National Constituent Assembly.
But that year was not the only time that the delivery of new funds to finish the hospital was announced. On October 25th, 2017, the Government of Monagas announced through a message on Twitter, another approval of new funds, but this time without specifying the amount of money.
Gob. Yelitza Santaella anunció la aprobación de recursos por el pdte Maduro para la culminación del hospital de Aguasay #Monagas #Maturin ;
— Gobierno de Monagas (@GobMonagas_) October 25, 2017
Despite the billions of bolivars that have been allocated in the last eight years for the completion of the hospital, nowadays it looks dilapidated, abandoned… Meanwhile, the inhabitants of Aguasay and surrounding areas who were deluded by the unfulfilled promises, continue to hope and pray to avoid the misfortune of getting sick.
