Colombia: they broke the door of the hospital and took away their relative, killed by Covid-19

Relatives of the deceased by the coronavirus Ramón Eliecer Quintero they broke into the San Rafael hospital Canton Fundación, Magdalena, Colombia, violated the site’s facilities and took the body of the deceased. The authorities condemned the acts of vandalism committed.

Family members were admitted to hospital, they smashed the emergency room door with stones and they walked around the exit door of the establishment, carrying the corpse on a stretcher.

Via Twitter, local outlet Magdalena Connection showed “the moment when the relatives of the deceased, Ramón Eliecer Quintero, violently took his remains from the facilities of the San Rafael de Fundación Hospital, Magdalena, where he received medical assistance.

Local media published viral images in the networks of relatives of Quintero transferring the body to the municipality of Aracataca, where he was from.

Relatives moved the body of the deceased for seven blocks to the main street of Fundación. Later, according to the newspaper El Heraldo, the police convinced them to take him to the morgue.

Those close to Quintero, in statements to the Barranquilla newspaper, apologized and said the reaction was motivated by the powerlessness of not being able to give him a Christian burial. “I apologize to the municipality, we are not vandals, but as the poor, we must do this so that they listen to us, ”Rosa Katherine Quintero, eldest daughter of the deceased, told El Heraldo.

Hospital issued a statement rejecting acts of vandalism and explaining that the event occurred when relatives of the deceased opposed the institution to transfer the body to the warehouse, in accordance with Covid-19 protocol.

“The patient died in our facility and was transferred in accordance with all established protocols in the facility for the treatment of corpses until their temporary storage, a process that was not accepted by relatives, who acted violently” he communicated on his Twitter account.

For his part, the governor of the department of Magdalena, Carlos caicedo, said he understands the anguish of family members, but asked to adhere to biosecurity protocols. In turn, he announced that he would accompany “the management of the hospital in the complaint against those who stole the body of the deceased”, and declared that he had requested the opening of an investigation for the alleged omission in which police units were allegedly engaged.

“We understand the anguish of family members but we call on everyone to respect their obligation to respect the biosecurity protocols and standards established by the authorities, to protect the life, health and physical integrity of people and to respect the medical staff of the department “the governor said on his Twitter account.

THE NATION