A Year After Maria, Puerto Rican Kidney Patients Fear Death

[DonViejo]

More pain for my friends on Vieques Island; I lived and worked on the island for six years. -- Don

By DANICA COTO
September 19, 2018 8:28 am

VIEQUES, Puerto Rico (AP) — As weeks turned into months, the seats of the small plane began to empty out.

In the beginning, 15 passengers flew from Vieques to the Puerto Rican mainland — refugees from Hurricane Maria. The storm had ruined the only dialysis center on this tiny island, their home; without treatment, the kidney patients would die.

But the thrice-weekly trips have taken a toll on these frail patients. Five have died in this past year from causes ranging from heart failure to cancer, but advocates insist that the very flights that keep the patients alive have hastened their deaths.

The mortality rate is “a high number,” said Angela Diaz, director of the nonprofit Renal Council of Puerto Rico. “We obviously cannot dismiss the fact that these are not appropriate conditions. It’s vital that (the government) take action as soon as possible. … As much as they want to avoid the topic, we have to talk about how we’re still doing this one year after Maria.”

more
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/puerto-rican-kidney-patients-fear-death-maria-hurricane

[niyad]

1. but. . . but. . . .donnie FIXED Puerto Rico, he said so. no problems.