How shanty town ambulances are saving lives in Argentina

Ambulance staff say they have been attacked and don¡¯t feel safe in the area. But for the last two years there has been an alternative: the Villeras emergency services center. This organization operates five ambulances emblazoned with the faces of Che Guevara and the priest Carlos Mugica ¨C assassinated in 1974 for fighting for the rights of the poor ¨C in 20 slums in the Argentinean capital where the state won¡¯t go.

The hotline provides access to a network that includes health centers and toxicology units

Two years ago members of the left-wing movement Corriente Villera Independiente decided they were tired of waiting for health services to arrive in the area and set up a hotline to attend to emergency service calls coming from 1-11-14. Most of the ambulance services are pre-programed as is the case with Octavio, but they also provide emergency services.

Sometimes, it is a question of life or death. The drivers and nurses live in the neighborhood and know every inch of the labyrinth of streets where they work.

¡°The problem [before] was that to call an ambulance you had to contact the police. This means delays, and neighbors died in cases where it could have been avoided, like a simple attack of epilepsy,¡± says Marina Joski, the center coordinator.

¡°Another problem is that our houses have two of three stories and spiral staircases. Patients who are morbidly obese, for example, and have to go to hospital for a checkup have to stay at home because ambulances don¡¯t want to bring them downstairs.

This is where the fire brigade comes in. Formed of young people in the neighborhood, the firefighters help ambulances with ¡°difficult¡± cases. And they also put out fires.

¡°At first we went around the area with a fire extinguisher in each hand, while we handed out flyers with our telephone number so that people found out about us,¡± says Humberto Quispe. Seven months ago, the brigade managed to buy a small, secondhand fire engine, well equipped and perfect for the neighborhood¡¯s narrow streets.

Ambulance staff say they have been attacked and don¡¯t feel safe in the area

¡°We get there first because we know the streets. We provide initial assistance and then leave it to the fire brigade and the police,¡± says 19-year-old Augusto. Standing next to him is Harold, who says the main problem is short circuits resulting from the improvised electrical wiring in 1-11-14 ¨C especially in winter when residents turn on their electrical heating.

The hotline center has a gym so staff and emergency services personnel can keep in shape: all financed without government or private funding. The staff work as part of a cooperative and receive the same salary.

Joski explains that the hotline doesn¡¯t just provide ambulances and firefighters but also provides access to a network that includes health centers and even toxicology units. Some 500 people are working every day as part of a project that is trying to change to the culture of complaint to one of taking action. Little by little, public hospitals are beginning to take the center¡¯s work seriously and are even asking for their assistance when working in areas they find it difficult to access.

English version by George Mills.