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respond to this situation some I had only read about it but in that case he could have died. It was terrible
doctors in COPPES started an to operate on a man without anesthesia but we had to do it.
infirmary four years ago. They I do all kinds of surgery now. I am not a doctor. I was only studying
started with nothing. Then we medicine for three years but I have to do these things. Now I have a lot of
got some help from families who practice because I need to do it. I am the only one here who can do this.
brought us medicine. We started We open the stomach to remove bullets or pieces of bone. Now the army is
to give medical attention to the using a bomb that explodes and throws a lot of pieces. It hurts a lot. Maybe
political prisoners. Then some we have to take out twenty or thirty pieces of metal. It is really bad. They
humanitarian organizations and can get an infection. A lot of political prisoners have been blindfolded for
the church sent medicine because maybe fifteen days. The army usually hits the eyes. So we have a special
they understood the problems sickness where a skin grows over the eye; we have to take it off or the
of health in the prison. The big prisoner will go blind.
problem is that we don’t have the
right to go to the hospital. If you Now we have this infirmary, which gives medical attention to the political
are really sick you can die here. It prisoners, to the common prisoners, and to the guards because they need
happens. The common prisoners medical attention too. They are poor people and they don’t have a place to
can go to a hospital but they have get medical attention. We also give attention to our families. On visitor’s
to pay the official doctor. It’s a day a lot of poor families come here to get treatment. Medicine is really
really corrupt system. expensive so we make our own and use natural medicine. We take charcoal
for diarrhea. We use honey, lemon, and onion for coughs. It helps a lot.
When the government
repression increased, a lot of We need food. Now it is really bad. We only get one tortilla and two
injured and sick people were sent spoonfuls of beans in the morning and evening. At lunch we might get two
to the prison. In 1986, the military tortillas with some water and oil inside. That’s all. We are having problems,
started ‘Operation Phoenix’ in people get sick because of the food. Sometimes our families bring food.
the Guazapa area, shooting a lot When we get food we divide it up amoung all the compañeros. We try to
of farmers. They came to the jail help the common prisoners by giving them medical attention and when we
badly injured so we had to do have food we send them some.
surgery inside. It was really hard
because we didn’t have equipment We also give mental assistance. If you are a farmer and have always lived
or anesthesia but we had to do it in the country and then the army has captured and tortured you, being sent
or these people would have died. to a place like this can make you crazy. We are trying to help these people.
In 1986 a man was shot by the
army. He had three big holes in his Some medical help came from other countries through humanitarian
leg. He was fifteen days without medical organizations. They came to the jail to give us assistance and
medical attention. He got worms. I equipment and we started to learn how to work as a real infirmary. Now
had to cut the leg off. It was really, I have more experience and help. Some people from a French medical
really bad gangrene. At that time organization come here twice a week to teach us a lot about surgical
we didn’t have much anesthesia. techniques. They come here because we have been fighting for this - with
It was my first amputation. It was hunger strikes. Also, people from Denmark and Spain have come, but it is
hard. I didn’t have any experience. difficult. Sometimes they are not allowed to enter.
LANDSCAPE & BREAD MARLIE BURTON-ROCHE 55