Hospital staff in Rio de Janeiro: “We have run out of strength”

“I can’t give any numbers. There were just too many.” Victor Augusto Azambuja is an intensive care doctor at the Ronaldo Gazolla Municipal Hospital in Rio de Janeiro. Last year, 2,603 ​​people died of Covid-19 in the clinic, including doctors.

“We have lost many colleagues who have worked in technology or in nursing,” says nurse Helenice Rodrigues Messner Neves. “At some point there weren’t enough people coming to work.”

Six months of clinical service without payment

As in many other countries, hospitals in Brazil did not have sufficient protective equipment, medication and staff at the beginning of the crisis. Doctors and nurses have had to put their own fears aside while saving lives. But in contrast to other countries, many of them haven’t even been paid for it. “We had staff who worked for over six months without wages,” said doctor Carlos Vasconcellos.

In addition, many jobs have been outsourced in order to save costs, so that many doctors and nurses are not socially protected. So they came to work even though they were not doing well, as Vasconcellos reports: “Many went to work even though they had Covid-19 and mild symptoms. Otherwise they would not have been paid.”

Overload of the cemeteries feared

Brazil passed the 200,000 corona death mark last week. It is the country with the most victims worldwide after the USA. According to estimates, the number of unreported cases is much larger because little is tested. It is feared that the cemeteries will be overloaded again.

President Jair Bolsonaro, who infected himself, has repeatedly referred to the virus as “minor flu” and so far sees no need for a vaccination strategy. The disbelief in the population remains high.

At least one person died of Corona in the Ronaldo Gazolla Hospital while we were filming. On average, the clinic records eight Covid 19 deaths a day. “When the time comes, we’ll just be quiet,” says nurse Vanessa de Albuquerque. “We have run out of strength. I’ve been working in the emergency room and intensive care unit for 20 years. It’s never been so difficult.”

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