Puerto Rican Hospitals in Crisis Amid Shortages of Water, Power and Medicine

Edited by Ed Newman
2017-09-28 14:00:23

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San Juan, September 28 (RHC)-- In Puerto Rico, hospitals report they’re at capacity and struggling to maintain operations -- part of a growing humanitarian catastrophe more than a week after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

News reports say the majority of Puerto Rico’s 69 hospitals don’t have enough fuel to power electric generators, as the island’s entire electrical grid has collapsed. At San Jorge Children’s Hospital in San Juan, managers have repeatedly pleaded for diesel fuel as medical teams have faced blackouts of up to three hours.

On Capitol Hill in Washington, members of the U.S. Congress said the Trump administration is blocking their attempts to visit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Washington Post reports that since earlier this week, the White House and Pentagon have denied lawmakers permission to use military aircraft to make the trips. Among those affected are at least 10 members of the House and Senate who were planning a trip for Friday.



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