Hospital Infantil San Vicente Fundación

Yesterday we experienced a profoundly dehumanized level of specialized medical care at this hospital. It is alarming that the healthcare staff ignores the pain and mental health of patients, especially when they are minors. No one gets sick by choice. Being a medical professional also means having empathy and sensitivity to the suffering of others.

San Vicente de Paúl Pediatric Emergency Room — now this is real medicine. I came seeking a second opinion because Clínica del Rosario wanted to charge me $5 million pesos for surgery for my son after a minor fall. When I refused, the doctor told me, "Ma'am, go home and glue your son's wound with super glue!" At San Vicente, on a Sunday in the pediatric emergency room, the care was immediate. All the staff — from reception to the doctor — were kind, warm, and highly trained. The doctor calmly examined my son, explained exactly what was wrong, prescribed an ointment and antibiotics, and sent us home relieved. The surgery never happened because it wasn't necessary. It's clear that the staff loves what they do. Without a doubt, the best place to take your children in Medellín. I highly recommend it; they have respect for their patients.

Security is inadequate for a facility that cares for newborns. Security personnel follow orders that make no sense from a security standpoint, such as being tasked with preventing both parents from entering the emergency room to wait for a newborn, supposedly because they are monitoring the cameras. However, a homeless person enters to steal, and they only notice him as he is leaving. Furthermore, the emergency room service is extremely slow.

When you've spent more than three days in a row going in and out of San Vicente Hospital, you begin to see that this place isn't just inhabited by doctors and nurses, cardiologists, nephrologists, pediatricians, assistants from other professions, and pigeons. If you take a moment to connect with life and look around, you'll see a huge water feature, as well as a wishing fountain, just like in fairy tales. Higher up, the canopies of beautiful, leafy trees offer birds perches where they watch us in their own little world. Being a renal companion allows you four hours of free time within the hospital, and fortunately for me, I've been able to spot nearly ten species of birds here: hummingbirds, tyrant flycatchers, doves, tanagers, hawks, herons, parrots, macaws, among others, and a warbler that I haven't yet identified but will be the subject of a post on a future occasion.

There's zero human warmth in this hospital; it's just robots who don't understand the importance of a good environment for children. How is it possible that there's a minimum number of hours required before parents can share care of the patient, leaving the entire burden on the mother for so long, and not even allowing her to get on the bed to keep the baby company? We need to learn to be more understanding.