The last few days have been quite difficult for our country. Although the third wave of Covid-19 seems to be on its way out because infections are already showing a decrease, it does not mean that it is the only problem. A very serious one that has intensified is caused by the heavy rains that have occurred in much of the country. The danger is not only found in the streets but inside the buildings. The clearest example can be seen in a serious incident that occurred in a hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).
Report of the facts
The problem was generated during the night of this September 6 in the central area of the country. For long hours a incessant deluge and one of the most affected entities was Hidalgo due to the overflow of the Tula River.
As a result of this situation, there was a power failure in much of the municipality of Tula that lasted for hours. As a consequence, the General Hospital of Zone No. 5 of the IMSS had to interrupt the oxygen system offered to patients admitted to the Emergency area.
Due to the fact that the electricity did not return all night, the death of 16 hospitalized patients. Of them, it is indicated that six had Covid-19, while the remaining suffered from other serious diseases and required the artificial oxygenation system to stay alive.
Yesterday’s rains in Hidalgo caused the Tula river to overflow, flooding the GZ No.5 Hospital of the IMSS; causing the death of 16 patients (the rest are being evacuated). The DNIII plan was applied. There are more than a thousand elements to serve the affected population. pic.twitter.com/GaawRA4Omb
– Government of Mexico (@GobiernoMX) September 7, 2021
And the light plant?
For its part, the incident has raised some doubts regarding this IMSS hospital. In theory, all hospitals should have a power plant that is activated when there is a failure in the electrical system. In this way, interruptions in the support teams for patients admitted to the emergency room are avoided. Until now no one has explained why it was not activated here or at least if there was one.
Although it was the most serious impact on the lives lost, it was not actually the only one. What is reported is that the rain was so intense that the water caused a flood within the hospital itself.
Through images it can be seen that the water level on the first floor exceeded one meter in height. Immediately the medical and nursing staff had to help the patients who were there to move them to the upper floors.
The rains in Hidalgo caused the overflow of the Tula River, which generated flooding and electrical failures, so the oxygen supply was interrupted in the General Hospital of Zone 5 of the IMSS, causing the death of 10 patients https://t.co/W3Ik0OAxtY pic.twitter.com/j6dkAaeWtO
– SinEmbargo (@SinEmbargoMX) September 7, 2021
In this sense, although the intensity of the rain was very strong, there are also aspects such as pollution in the streets that lead to this type of incident. Sometimes most of the drains are covered by the garbage that a large part of the population fans and that blocks the drainage systems.
For now, one of the fears is that according to the National Meteorological System the rains will continue during the following days in a large part of the country. Therefore, there is a risk of similar scenes occurring both in this hospital and in any other.