National: Organizations Denounce Health Neglect in Open Letter to AMLO

@EDUCA

On April 10th, various social and community organizations from the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Chiapas, Guerrero, Yucatan and San Luis Potosi, including UCIZONI, MAIZ, counselors from the CRAC-PC and EDUCA, published an open letter to President of the Republic, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), in which they denounced the abandonment of the public health system.

They noted that “in the face of the imminent epidemic of Covid-19, this could mean a real tragedy for our peoples.” Most of the medical centers in rural areas where indigenous peoples are located lack both equipment and doctors who can care for people infected with the Coronavirus. “That is why we make an urgent call for it to to be equipped with sufficient personnel and equipment to guarantee indigenous people quality care. It is also required that workers in the health sector be provided with adequate means of protection so as not to be infected and not infect patients and our own families”, the letter reads.

In addition, they demand that a national plan to rescue the community economy be executed for people unable to carry out their work due to confinement and that information regarding the pandemic and preventive measures be translated into indigenous languages ​​so that everyone is informed correctly.

For more information in Spanish:

Organizaciones denuncian abandono sanitario y piden a AMLO adelantarse a la inminente tragedia para los pueblos (Educa el 14 de abril de 2020)

Carta abierta a López Obrador (10 de abril de 2020)

Comunidades de siete estados denuncian abandono sanitario y de infraestructura médica (La Coperacha el 13 de abril de 2020)

For more information from SIPAZ:

National: CNDH Calls for Protection of Indigenous and Afro-descendant Populations against COVID-19 (April 14, 2020)

Chiapas: Health Workers Denounce Shortages in Hospitals (April 10, 2020)

National: Migrant Dies in Protest at Migrant Center in Tabasco; INM Blamed (April 5, 2020)

Chiapas: National Guard and Police Oppression of Migrants Protesting over COVID-19 Fears (March 30, 2020)