Between conflict and water, the hospital ship of the Pacific Region of Colombia
Israel Fuguemann
Journalist & Photographer
based in Colombia
In deep and rural Colombia there is a hospital ship that navigates the seas and rivers attending in need population in the Pacific region. From the border with Panama to the border with Ecuador, the Pacific Ocean coast of Colombia is one of the poorest and most isolated area in the country due to a long lasting armed conflict that continues to affect the populations, mainly indigenous and Afro-descendants, that inhabit this dense South American jungle.
The historical conflict between different armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Gulf Clan and soldiers of the Colombian regular army, who fight for control of the territory, has dramatic consequences for the inhabitants of the region, who have been isolated or displaced from their lands and forced to live in fear of forced recruitment of young people, homicides, rapes and kidnappings.
Without sufficient medical services provided by the State, thousands of people struggle daily to obtain the basic and universal right to health. For this reason, the San Raffaele Hospital Ship travels along rivers to reach villages that are inaccessible by any other means of transportation, trying to alleviate problems such as malnutrition, psychological problems and chronic diseases.
The ship has a crew of over thirty people, composed by nurses, psychologists, gynecologists, doctors, midwives, receptionists, laboratory technicians, and cultural and health mediators; It has an operating room and it is prepared to travel long distances. In just the first six months of this year, more than 4,400 health consultations and around 400 mental health consultations were carried out, trying to reconnect the fragile social bound of the region with the responsibilities of the Colombian state.
This work aims to make visible the nowadays reality of one of the areas most affected by the Colombian conflict and the resilience of its communities and the professionals who continue working every day for peace and rights in Colombia.
The lady in the photograph who is traveling in a boat is sick, most likely from Dengue, according to a medical report applied in the town of Puerto Saija. Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquito bites, which, if not treated in time, can even cause death. In his hand he carries a medical order for the necessary tests to be carried out on a boat converted into a hospital that plies the Colombian rivers. His journey through the currents of the Saja River in search of an antidote to treat his discomfort has taken him more than 5 hours. The community where he lives belongs to the Emberá Dobida, an indigenous group that has inhabited these lands for several centuries. The Pacific region is one of the most isolated and poorest in Colombia. The internal war that has been going on for several decades for control of the territory has created oblivion and abandonment in this dense South American jungle. Without medical services provided by the State, thousands of people struggle daily to obtain a basic and universal right such as health. Puerto Saija, Cauca, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Aerial view of the Saija river, in the Colombian Pacific. Below is the "San Raffaele" Hospital Ship, which provides medical care in some of the poorest and most isolated communities in Colombia. Community of Puerto Saija, Timbiquí, Department of Cauca, Colombia, December 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A group of women and children are transported by medical personnel from the humanitarian mission. These people travel by boat on the Saija river to the San Raffaele hospital ship to receive medical attention. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A group of people from the different communities of the Colombian Cauca regions, sail back to their homes after being treated by the doctors of the San Raffaele hospital ship. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A group of mothers with their sick children wait on the deck of the San Raffaele hospital ship to receive medical treatment and medicines from the Humanitarian Mission. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 16, 2022. December 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A small sick child receives medical attention from one of the doctors from the humanitarian mission that works at the "San Raffaele" Hospital Ship, Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Interior view of the San Rafaelle hospital ship that does humanitarian work (primary emergency health care, including general medicine, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health) in the Puerto Saija Community, Timbiquí, Department of Cauca, Colombia, December 16, 2022 . Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Two little girls play at the entrance door to the San Raffaele Hospital Ship, while they wait to receive medical attention on a ship that travels through some of the most isolated towns and communities in Colombia. Puerto Saija, Cauca, Colombia. December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A girl waits with her mother to undergo minor surgery by doctors from the San Raffaele ship, Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A pregnant woman from the unworthy community of Puerto Saija is lying down while waiting for medical attention from the team of the "San Rafaelle" Hospital Ship. Cauca, Colombia. December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A doctor from the "San Rafaelle" Hospital Ship treats a little girl from the community. In the populations of the Colombian Pacific region there is a considerable number of diseases related to diet. Puerto Saija, Colombia. December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
View of the main port of Puerto Saija. The boats that carry and bring products to this place park on this site. Without access by land, reaching this region of Colombia can only be done by plane or by boat after many hours of navigation. Puerto Saija Colombia. December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A little boy from the community of Puerto Saija waits for his mother on the deck of the ship, she is being treated by doctors from the San Rafael Hospital Ship. Puerto Saija, Colombia. December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Three women are being transported in a boat to the community of Puerto Saija, Colombia. These women received medical attention on the San Rafaelle hospital ship. Like them, hundreds of people find in this humanitarian mission the only possibility of receiving specialized medical care. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Two girls pose for a photograph at the entrance of the Puerto Saija church, behind them an armed man can be seen walking through the village. The region is mainly controlled by armed groups that are fighting over the area because it is an exit to the Colombian Pacific Ocean. Port Saija. December 16, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Two indigenous women from the Cauca region of Colombia wait with their small children to receive medicine from the staff of the San Raffaele hospital ship. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A small child was photographed in the offices of the municipality of Puerto Saija, and she was able to receive information about the medical work carried out in her community. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A group of hopeful children will come from a medical health clinic to receive attention from the humanitarian organizations that work in their territory. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Daniel the captain of the barco hospital San Rafael will see the Pacific Ocean from the cabin of the barco. Cauca, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
A group of women and children wait on the deck of the San Raffaele hospital ship to receive medical treatment and medicines from the Humanitarian Mission that has arrived in their communities. Puerto Saija, Colombia, December 16, 2022. December 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
The medical equipment of the San Rafael hospital is broken inside the boat. The personnel who work in the barco live for long periods of time at home in the Colombian Pacific region to take medical care of some of the most inaccessible communities in the country. Cauca, Colombia, December 16, 2022.
Members of the crew of the San Rafaelle Hospital Ship navigate the Sajija River in the south of the country. These men navigate some of the most inaccessible and dangerous places in Colombia in order to bring medical care to people. Cauca, Colombia, December 17, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Daniel, the captain of the San Rafaelle Hospital Ship, navigates the channels of the Saija River in the south of the country. Cauca, Colombia, December 17, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Sunset view of the San Rafaelle Hospital Ship that is anchored on the current of the Saija River in the Colombian Pacific region. Since 2005, this ship has been bringing health services to some of the most inaccessible communities in the country. From Cauca, Colombia, December 15, 2022. Comunidad Puerto Saija Colombia
Public Project
Between conflict and water, the hospital ship of the Pacific Region of Colombia
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