Tarija Hospital Regional San Juan de Dios faces severe care failures

Former campesino leader Luis Alfaro denounced chronic deficiencies at the Hospital Regional San Juan de Dios (HRSJD) in Tarija, describing the situation as a "privatization of health" that forces patients to seek costly private care.

Alfaro’s son, Noé Fernando Alfaro Quispe, died after spending more than six hours in the hospital’s emergency ward following a traffic accident, prompting the provincial Council of Social Health to label the hospital’s service a "death sentence." The council highlighted structural problems such as inadequate infrastructure, broken medical equipment, a shortage of specialists, and delays in SUS payments that compel patients to purchase medicines themselves.

Hospital director Paul Castellanos acknowledged the shortcomings and announced steps to improve equipment, staffing and administrative processes, while the council urged regular citizen audits and performance‑linked salaries for health workers.