COVID-19 pandemic report

Dr. Wendy Elena Tejada Rivas reports on the challenges facing the Juan López health care clinic — and how they’re continuing to deliver health care services — during the COVID-19 pandemic. Located in the Juan López Arriba district of Moca, Dominican Republic, the polyclinic serves more than 1,200 patients every month.

Translation

“Good morning to all the members of the Marela Foundation, for the ones who do not know me. I am Dr. Wendy Elena Tejada Rivas, and I oversee the Polyclinic Center of Juan Lopez. This center is currently being supported by the Marela Children’s Foundation, and we are operating despite the circumstances that we are facing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

We are, however, not treating or evaluating patients that present the virus symptoms with respiratory difficulties. Instead, we are referring them to the centers designated by the Health Department that do attend such patients so that they get proper testing and treatment.

At this time, we are handing medications to patients with hypertension, diabetes, mental illness, and others that are required, and we are also consulting emergency cases.

We are doing our best with the limited resources that we have since the supplies needed for our personal protection have been reduced for the ones that are treating regular patients.

We are trying to conscientize our community that if they do not have an emergency, they should stay in their homes, and the medicine used by our chronically ill patients should be picked up by one family member. Or, in cases, we even deliver them to their homes.

We are running extremely low on protection gear for the staff members that are essential for our protection like face masks, gloves, goggles, which are disposable and need to be replenished.

We need these supplies to keep attending to patients so that they receive the proper care and keep them not only them protected, but ourselves as well.

We are still providing vaccines for kids and treating patients with cuts and just doing our best to attend the ones who need us the most.”