Puerto Lempira Hospital doctors face eight months without pay

Sixteen doctors at the Puerto Lempira Hospital in the Gracias a Dios department of Honduras have gone eight months without receiving their salaries. Despite the lack of pay, the medical staff continues to provide essential services, including emergency care, labor, and delivery, to the population of La Mosquitia.

Deputy Erika Urtecho has called for urgent intervention from the Secretariat of Health to regularize payments. Among those affected is Rodrigo Fortín, an internist who has served at the hospital since 2019 and is reportedly the only internal medicine specialist in the entire department.

The financial crisis is compounded by a severe shortage of medical supplies and equipment. The hospital is facing a lack of medications, intravenous fluids, pediatric catheters, and surgical boots. Additionally, the facility lacks a functional X-ray machine and equipment to perform blood counts, forcing patients to travel to Tegucigalpa for basic diagnostic studies.