The wounded Argentine spoke in Bolivia of a connection with Evo Morales: "The first thing I thought was how I was going to pay for the treatment"

"I saw myself on the back, lying on the sidewalk, I had the truck behind my head, I had very bad back pain and I had trouble breathing, so I turned around." . The first thing I thought was, "Oops, now how can I get out, I do not have to pay for treatment""Some two hours before this December 8, 2018, the musician Jujuy Manuel Vilca, 36, He had appeared with his group "Grupo Ten Puntos" in a small town near the town of Totora, Bolivia. The bbadist has had more than ten years with constant trips and stays in the neighboring country. In this way, he knew that health insurance was paid for and that the treatment to which he would be subjected would be more than expensive.

The history of Vilca has been around the Argentine public opinion in the last two weeks. His family went to seek the help of the Jujuy government and the media, not having sufficient income to cope with the costs of hospitalization, treatment and possible surgery in a semi-private clinic in the city of Cochabamba.

Following the anguished claim of her mother, María Calisaya, the government of Jujuy decided to pay more than two thousand dollars corresponding to the last period of his hospitalization and pay the transfer to this Argentine province to perform a complex operation of the spine.

Today, admitted to a trauma ward at Pablo Soria hospital in Jujuy and a few hours after undergoing surgery to correct a fracture of the lumbar vertebra, Manuel Vilca had a thorough telephone conversation with Infobae, in which he spoke about his history in Bolivia and about two months of rest on hospital stretchers in full uncertainty.

"I've been going to Bolivia steadily for the last ten years – in fact, I've lived there for more than two years longer than in Argentina," says the young musician.

"From the beginning, I knew that the health care system was paying off and that if, at some point, I had to be hospitalized for something, I would have to put some money into it. to help me, "he added.

At that time, Vilca came to live six years in the federal capital, where he developed into the field of one of his greatest pbadions, graphic design. Despite this, at the end of 2016, he decided to move to La Paz to live music: since then, his main source of income would be his bbadist work for the tropical music group "Grupo Diez Puntos".

"We live across the country, we have shows in different cities or villages almost every weekend and I make a living with that," he says. Infobae.

On December 8, the band had a few scheduled concerts. In the afternoon, they performed in Totora and in the evening they had to give a concert in Cochabamba.

"We will have played in this little town near Totora, whose name I do not remember, at six o'clock in the afternoon, then we left part of the group in a rented van and the rest we have accompanied in a private car, two hours later, between 7.30 and 20 ".

"The combi rider was driving faster than usual, if I remember correctly, the owner and singer of the group, Daniel Rivadero, had asked him to do it as quickly as possible in order to be able to get to the station. place of a new concert in time.In a turn, I saw that we had already taken it. The guy accelerated more, lost control, flew twice and there the truck started to spin. The last thing I remember is when the combi turned and I hit my head against the roof. Then I appeared on the road, "he describes.

As a result of the accident, Vilca felt a deep pain in his back and almost did not feel the five fractures of his right foot. In addition, Rivadero, the singer and owner of the group, who was also fired from the vehicle, also sustained internal injuries, a broken leg and an epileptic fit. One of the guitarists had a deep cut to the head.

Once cared for by paramedics, Vilca was transferred to an emergency room in Totora. In addition, not having the basic elements for treatment, the singer and he were directed to a public hospital in Oruro.

"There they made rays and they noticed the fractures of the foot, but they did not see the fracture of the vertebra. Although I told them day after day that I was dying of pain in the middle of the back and the coccyx, they did not see the injury."

The doctors noticed that three ankle fractures required surgery. For that, they gave Vilca a budget of $ 1,300, only by titanium plates and instruments of operation.

"Daniel, the owner of the group, had told me that he had signed show deal money and that he was going to take payments, so I l? I took there as a work accident and that treatment I ran from the person who used it. I was so calm that I did not even tell my family"he says Infobae.

The Vilca family was informed of the accident only on December 23, 15 days after the fact, after a family friend had learned about the overthrow that had occurred at local news .

"Over there, my mother moved heaven and earth to come see me, she is very humble, she lives in a small house in the village of La Mendieta, with very little," she adds.

Once the visit was received, Vilca had already been transferred to the Cochabamba Pro Salud Clinic. The decision was made by the group leader, who found greater comfort and had contacts in the administration of the health center. In turn, During the five days of hospitalization at the Oruro Public Health Center, it was necessary to pay approximately 22,000 Bolivian pesos ($ 3,183), regardless of foot operation.

"Just arrived in Cochabamba, Daniel had deposited about 3,000 bolivianos ($ 434) to open the account. There they would add all the expenses. He was hospitalized for two days. Until then I was still covered. After the discharge, payment problems started, "he added.

"When I arrived in Cochabamba to visit my son, as soon as I entered, the clinic staff contacted me and they tell me that we owe 2,500 Bolivian pesos ($ 361) for hospitalization and equipment", Explains Maria Calisaya to Infobae.

As if that was not enough, the doctors noted the fracture of the first lumbar vertebra behind the musician and warned of the need for an extremely complex surgical procedure.

"I was told that we had to pay about $ 4,600 worth of material, the same amount by the surgeon and the rest of the staff and that, with the cost of days after hospitalization, everything would be rounded to about $ 10,000. Can not get for someone like me, "says Vilca.

The uncertainty was fueled by the first short circuits in the relationship between the bbadist and the group's leader, Rivadero: "While we were waiting to see where to find that sum, Daniel told me he was paying for my hospitalization and day after day, at the clinic that's why I did not even worry, "says Vilca.

"Daniel told me that we could take money in a car, in the rental of a house, I do not know what else, I'm not sure. was always calm because I thought everything was paid. At one point, I know that he paid about $ 3,000 for my admission to the hospital", complete.

The expectation for the operation of the spine was delayed until the family was aware that she could not pay for this type of operation. Thus, weeks later, it was decided to transfer to a hospital in Jujuy.. Everything would be paid by the owner of the band.

The transfer was scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th.

"Three days before my departure from Cochabamba, the leader of the group told me that everything was already paid. But the day before, I asked for the summary and, when they brought it, we found a debt of about 2,100 dollars.. It was at this point that my mother started asking for help in the Jujuy media and that my story was communicated to the provincial government. "

According to Vilca, the payment of this debt would have been made on the day of the transfer, by order of the Provincial Secretary for Health, Pablo Jure. In total, the Cochabamba clinic received about US $ 7,000 for hospitalization and treatment.

Vilca left Bolivia and arrived last Wednesday in his home province, where he met his five brothers whom he had not seen since the accident. "They were waiting for me directly at the hospital. My mother was very excited, she cried all the time, I was excited by the certainty that we can go from the front ".

Once the tension for payments, bills with prices for the use of soaps, shampoo, toilet paper or a thermometer are pbaded, Vilca has managed to put all his concentration and his expectations in the column that's right. he will submit tomorrow from 6 am.

"To be honest, I'm very scared, there are excellent professionals, but I also know that it's a complex operation and that it involves risks," he said. -he declares. Infobae.

The bbadist wants to leave behind the last two months of hospitalization and is not encouraged to take a stand on collecting foreigners in each country's hospitals. "It's hard to know what to do, I would like no one to pay for healing, but if a country is accused, it would require an accelerated connection system with the chancelleries or embbadies of the countries of the region, that patients arrive" .