Doctor Angela Vargas works at a hospital in Mexico City. She primarily treats patients suffering from rheumatic illnesses and not COVID-19 patients. However, like many other Mexican healthcare workers, whenever she is on her way home, people treat her differently, says an article.

To avoid getting attacked like some of her colleagues have already experienced, she changes into civilian attire when she goes home.

In Mexico, when people find out that a person works at a hospital, they immediately fear that that person spreads COVID-19, Vargas and other Mexican healthcare workers say.


Comparing the Image

Doctors and other hospital personnel are being praised for their service in Florida and Italy. However, in Mexico, many hospital staff gets assaulted, banned from using public transportation, and sometimes get poured with bleach. According to Varga, the incident happened to the head nurse of the hospital where she works.


Not the Only One

Mexico is not the sole country where medical professionals in hospitals are being targeted due to the fears of the spread of the novel coronavirus. In India, medical workers have been beaten by a group of people and are being asked to leave apartment buildings. Additionally, assaults to medical workers have been reported in the Philippines and Australia.


Mexican Healthcare Workers Plead to Stop the Violence

On Monday, Fabiana Zepeda, the head nurse of the national health system of Mexico called IMSS, asked the people during a press conference to end the assaults towards healthcare workers. There were at least 21 attacks on medical workers across the 12 states of the country. However, more instances of assault are reported through social media, Zepeda added.

Zepeda asks everyone to respect medical workers and asks for solidarity during these difficult times in the country.

There are already 10,544 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday. It is the first time that the country reported an increase of 1,000 positive COVID-19 cases in the country for a single day.


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Lack of Equipment and Staff

Aside from aggression, medical workers are also expressing their concerns about inadequate equipment and staff. This was already a problem in the healthcare system of Mexico, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. There were even staff members that are already buying their masks due to the lack of supplies to combat COVID-19 in Mexico.

According to the president of Mexico, the country has not yet reached full capacity. However, the president already acknowledges the country's need to prepare before the COVID-19 outbreak reaches its peak.


Hope

Mexico is currently waiting for the arrival of 2,500 ventilators from China and the United States of America.

Additionally, the government is exerting efforts to hire more medical workers. Also, the government plans to offer a bonus of 20 percent of their salary for those who will be helping treat COVID-19 patients.

The National Guard has been guarding the entrance of IMSS hospitals since April 14 to protect medical workers and assaults.