A major earthquake has left the San Francisco de Asís Hospital in Colombia's Chocó department struggling with extreme overcrowding and critical resource shortages.
The crisis threatens the survival of hundreds of patients in a region already facing infrastructure challenges. The collapse of basic services at the primary medical facility in Quibdó leaves the local population without a reliable safety net during a mass-casualty event.
A magnitude-7.4 earthquake [1] struck the region early Monday morning, Aug. 10, at 7:34 a.m. [2, 3]. The seismic event caused massive damage to local infrastructure and triggered widespread power outages across the department.
Medical facilities have been overwhelmed by the influx of injured residents. A hospital spokesperson said the facility is currently operating at 245% of its capacity [4]. The spokesperson said several areas of the hospital are without electricity and there is a severe shortage of medical supplies [4].
The lack of stable facilities has forced medical staff to improvise care in precarious settings. One local health worker said, "Hemos atendido partos en los botes" — we have attended births in boats [5].
Emergency responders continue to navigate the damaged streets of Chocó to reach victims. The combination of power failure and a lack of basic surgical, and medicinal tools has hampered the ability of doctors to treat complex injuries resulting from the quake [4]. Local authorities have not yet provided a total count of casualties, but the strain on the healthcare system remains critical as more patients arrive from surrounding rural areas [2].
“The hospital is currently operating at 245% of its capacity”
The crisis at San Francisco de Asís Hospital highlights the vulnerability of healthcare infrastructure in Colombia's peripheral departments. When a high-magnitude event occurs in regions with limited redundancy, the failure of a single hub hospital can lead to a total collapse of emergency services, forcing medical providers to rely on makeshift solutions like boat-based care to manage basic obstetric and trauma needs.
