The brutal flood that devastated the province of Valencia on October 29, with a total of 220 deaths so far, has left a multitude of affected people, of different sizes, with needs of all kinds. Perhaps one of the most vulnerable is the chronically ill, neighbors who, due to their situation, cannot leave the house or, although they can, cannot go to their local hospitals. referral to obtain medications that they cannot obtain in pharmacies. , either because they have been destroyed, or because they are only provided in their health centers.
To respond to this problem, a Red Cross team goes every day from 3:00 p.m. to the most affected areas to distribute this medication to people suffering from this situation. elDiario.es accompanied one of these teams to verify the importance of their work.
According to Ángel García, technician of the emergency unit of the entity, on November 3, an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Health and the College of Pharmacists of Valencia, to ensure home delivery of medicines to patients with chronic illnesses, so that a telephone number is activated (965 918 658): “Those affected call us so that we can bring them to them, but hospitals have also called us to tell us which medications we had to bring to certain people. » patients, because the cold chain of certain medications must be maintained. We have received around 400 calls and 190 requests of which we are processing between 90 and 100.”
Regarding the pathologies of the people who benefit from this home care service, García explains that they are generally “elderly people, cancer patients, people with a high degree of dependency and who cannot go out or who cannot travel alone to collect their medication.” .”
Concerning the method of organization, he explains that “every day at this time we receive the list of patients with their addresses and the medicines that must be brought to them, routes are drawn up and two, three or four teams leave, there are days where we made between 20 and 25 daily deliveries, now a little less as the situation returns to normal.
On this occasion, the route starts from Paiporta and includes the municipalities of Benetússer, Catarroja and Albal. Along the way, we can see soldiers, firefighters, police, tanker trucks unblocking the sewers and many volunteers continuing to clean the mud, especially in basements and garages, from where they continue to remove cars. It is clear that there has been progress, but it is only just beginning and there is still a long way to go.
Red Cross volunteers and technicians make their first stop in Benetússer, in the middle of an apocalyptic landscape, always with shattered cars full of mud in the streets, wearing masks to protect themselves from the dust generated by the wind and from the dryness of the mud. in the streets. MR lives with his partner, who depends on a walker to get around, on the fourth floor: “He cannot go down the street because he suffers from sensory and motor peripheral neuropathy, so he has no strength in his leg straight and without the elevator. he can’t leave the house. I can go down and buy the basics, but we can’t get these medicines here if they don’t bring them to us. He had prostate surgery on October 12th and probably had a problem with a medication that caused this problem and we are trying to resolve it. He is currently taking medication for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. “Without the Red Cross it would be very difficult because not all pharmacies are active.”
The next stop is a first floor of Catarroja. Clara González, 55, is waiting there for essential medications to fight her multiple sclerosis. As he explains, “this is a special medicine in the form of injections that must be kept cold.” Regarding the need for the Red Cross home service, he comments that “nearby there is only one pharmacy that has reopened for conventional medicines, but the one I need, which is special, I already depend on the Doctor Peset hospital.”
Without the volunteers and technicians of the organization, I would not make it: “Me and my family found ourselves without a car, the connection with the hospital is now minimal and with sclerosis, I cannot walk. a lot either, the minimum. For me, the people who bring me medicine are like a guardian angel because with the seriousness of our situation, and even more so for chronically ill people who cannot leave their homes, it is phenomenal because we are experiencing a very bad time, it’s a disaster for all the senses.
Since October 29, the Red Cross has mobilized 200 teams with 6,934 people and 248,330 aids have been provided, 135,787 meals and 37,459 hygiene kits have been distributed, 4,293 people have been accommodated in shelters, 4 327 blankets were distributed and psychosocial assistance was provided to 2,601 people. people (119 minors) and 959 deliveries of medicines were made.
