The Cúcuta Doctors
Meet three doctors working at this border city hospital treating Venezuelan and Colombian patients
Cúcuta is a Colombian city located northeast of the country on the border with Venezuela. Since 2014, Venezuela has been experiencing a political and economic crisis that has led to severe lack of access to necessary food and medicine. Due to its proximity, many Venezuelans travel to Cúcuta, walking across the border to get much needed medical care and basic supplies.
Our story features three doctors. Dr. Albert Coba is a pediatrician. Dr. Claudia Pérez is a plastic surgeon. Dr. Ricardo Montoya is a gynecology and obstetrics specialist. They work at the Erasmo Meoz University Hospital in Cúcuta.
The hospital serves Colombian patients everyday, and is now also providing care to Venezuelan patients. That, in turn, has increased demands on the hospital. USAID has supported this hospital by providing equipment, medical supplies, and a tent to care for an overflow of patients. This support has also helped the hospital be prepared to shift its focus and treat COVID-19 patients.
Since 2018, USAID has provided nearly $31 million in humanitarian support for health care. This includes providing primary health care at hospitals, deploying medical teams and mobile health units throughout Colombia to support host communities’ healthcare systems, and conducting outreach so vulnerable Venezuelans and Colombians know how to access health services.
Although the three doctors ended up working in the Erasmo Meoz University Hospital for different reasons, they all love working there and are passionate advocates for treating patients with patience, dedication, and care.
During a visit to the hospital, we interviewed them capturing their busy schedules and hearing their stories, their goals, and what motivates them.
Dr. Coba
“I am Albert Coba. I am Venezuelan. I had to leave my country because of the humanitarian crisis that we are currently experiencing. I am a pediatrician here at the Erasmo Meoz hospital. We serve Venezuelan and Colombian patients. The support that the American people have provided and the commitment to help us during this humanitarian crisis has been valuable. I feel a little peace knowing that I left my country but I am also helping Venezuelan children one way or another.”
Dr. Pérez
“I am Claudia Pérez. I am a Colombian Doctor. I think it is our duty, no matter if it is a Venezuelan or a Colombian, we still have to take care of them in the best possible way as if it were any of us. A few years ago the situation was the opposite, Colombians were going there, then, well, I think this is a thing not so much about the border as such but a humanitarian thing.”
Dr. Montoya
“My name is Ricardo Montoya. I have been working in the hospital for 19 years in the gynecology and obstetrics service. The statistics have overwhelmed us. The help that USAID has given us has been very important. The motivation that we have is the satisfaction of bringing a healthy creature to the world.”
Watch the full short film here:
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About the Author
Sahar Kalifa is a Senior Communications Advisor and Content Specialist at USAID’s Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs.
