A sad note in today’s news is El Caribe’s report that the Pearl F. Ort burn unit at the Luis Eduardo Aybar Hospital (formerly known as the Morgan) has not received its government subsidy for the past four months. According to sources at the hospital, at least 15 patients needing transfusions and medicines could have been saved. Dr. Eddy Bruno, a surgeon at the facility, explained the situation and lay blame on the public health authorities for the unnecessary deaths. According to Dr. Bruno, “It is not a problem of professional ability in our unit that has caused these deaths, it is a problem of finances. We are recognized as the finest burn unit in Latin America, but with empty hands we cannot save lives.” In a document given to the press, the entire staff agrees that the current situation “has never been seen in the eleven years since (the unit’s) inauguration.”
The Pearl F. Ort burn unit is the only facility of its kind in the Dominican Republic, as none of the public hospitals or private clinics have any such specialized unit.