The corona virus is spreading a lot quicker in Peru than in Germany which leaves the local health system unequipped for the increase in patient numbers. Despite the lockdown, including strict confinement measures, the hospitals in Lima are collapsing. These hospitals are supposed to also take care of the patients from the surrounding areas that need to be hospitalized. More and more patients are turned away from the hospitals as maximum capacities are reached. Therefore, some hospitals started to treat COVID-19 patients in restricted areas on the streets in front of the hospitals. Healthcare in rural areas is covered by government-run health centers that cannot provide in-patient care. The health center in Chilca (63km south of Lima in the region of Cañete) is responsible for 15,000 patients. This specific health center covers 53,000 treatments each year and patients from smaller rural villages are transferred here as well. The staff of the Chilca health center works 24/7, day and night, to take care of their patients. In light of the increasingly catastrophic situation in the hospitals they will have to somehow keep treating the COVID-19 patients as out-patients as long as they can.
The health center in Chilca has no more protective masks at the moment to protect their staff that are exposed to the danger of COVID-19 every day. The already used masks are being reused too often and there is no eye protection available at all. Our goal is to supply the 80 co-workers of the health center in Chilca, providing direct care for covid-19 patients, each with one reusable visor to protect eyes and face and with suitable protective masks so that they can keep treating the local patients.
A simple visor to protect eyes and face costs approximately 13 Euros and a suitable protective mask costs approximately 17 Euros. These prices will increase due to the increasingly catastrophic situation.
Dear supporter, our project partners are putting their trust in your help. We are all affected by the corona crisis at the moment. At the same time we are all part of the solution. Together we can show solidarity across borders and overcome the negative consequences of the corona crisis.
Sincerely yours,
your team of Desierto Florido e.V.
