Los Tiempos reported that 5 projects undertaken by the Special Projects Unit (Upre), of the "Bolivia Cambia, Evo Cumple" program in favor of indigenous communities in the North of La Paz and Beni are still unfinished “covered by scrub and two of them practically do not exist.” Three of the projects were awarded “to the Indigenous Council of the Tacana People (CIPTA) in Tumupasa, San Buenaventura, La Paz, and two to the Central de Pueblos Indígenas del Beni (CEPIB), in Trinidad.” These projects were financed by the Venezuelan government at a cost of over $405 million dollars (USD).
“For the Tacana people, the Upre approved in 2008 three projects of great importance for the community: the construction of a health center, a closed coliseum and a field with a shed for the only school. The management was possible thanks to the mediation of the then president of the Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia (Cidob), Adolfo Chávez, recalls the current deputy mayor of Tumupasa, Sandro Limpias.
In 2008, Limpias was a cantonal agent of Tumupasa and together with the population, some 4,500 people, celebrated with great enthusiasm - according to account - the achievement for the community. 13 years have passed, since then, and there is only frustration and ruins.
"There were three works to be executed through the Upre here in Tumupasa, but unfortunately due to problems that we do not understand that the company that was awarded had had, it was delayed, they did not give their technical progress reports in due time and it seems that the Upre itself froze the funds, "the deputy mayor told ANF.
The construction company Arcoas -which has not renewed its license since 2012, according to Fundempresa-, breached the contract and despite the efforts of the local authorities before the national government for the works to be completed, they were abandoned.”
“The health module, which was the great hope for the Tacana population, to avoid trips of almost an hour and a half to San Buenaventura by car, was cut short. Today, bushes cover the half construction of the post that over the years was unusable to continue, according to the verification carried out by ANF in the place. The work only achieved a 30% progress. At the time, the Upre assigned a budget of 413,342 Bolivians for the total execution of this work.
"That health post was a great need, with environments with enough space, with their respective equipment, to be able to care for the patient, because when we have an accident or an emergency we have to transfer the patient to San Buenaventura," said Limpias.
Currently, Tumupasa has an old medical post that, due to the intervention of the municipal government, could be expanded, but it is insufficient for the region. Only one doctor and two assistants serve the 10 communities of Tumupasa, with little equipment and no medicines.
The Covid-19 pandemic affected many people in that town, but only claimed two lives. The residents preferred to treat themselves in their homes, with medicinal herbs, realizing that the medical center and the few personnel would not provide enough, without medicines or tests to diagnose the virus. "We prefer to heal ourselves at home," said Limpias.
The lack of supplies for an accurate diagnosis confused medical personnel to identify Covid-19 or dengue. The medical diagnosis, in many cases, was dengue "but the patient's health continued to deteriorate and he had to be taken to Rurrenabaque, there they detected Covid and finally had to be transferred to Trinidad to receive care," the deputy mayor recalled.
Limpias insists that the health service in the community is very precarious and they need the authorities to improve this situation. “