May 7, 2024
-December 2023
In a small purple house nestled along a winding road in Puerto Rico's Central Mountain Range, Margarita Gómez Falcón faced a critical health emergency one March evening. Struggling with kidney disease, COVID-19, and respiratory issues requiring oxygen, her situation was exacerbated by a faltering medical system, where access to specialized care had dwindled since Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Aguas Buenas, a working-class town in the central highlands, had only one functional ambulance for its 25,000 residents. When Gómez Falcón called for help, a private ambulance, challenged by the town's labyrinthine back roads, struggled to locate her home. Her family, desperate for assistance, waited for paramedics for two agonizing hours. When they finally arrived, Gómez Falcón had succumbed to her ailments.
This tragic incident reflects the broader breakdown of Puerto Rico's medical system, contributing to a historic surge in deaths in 2022, as revealed by an investigation by The Washington Post and Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism. With a population of 3.3 million, Puerto Rico experienced over 35,400 deaths, surpassing expectations by nearly 3,300, according to a statistical analysis.
The "excess mortality" was initially attributed to a COVID-19 spike that claimed over 2,300 lives. However, elevated death rates persisted after the pandemic, indicating systemic issues such as the loss of medical staff and services, coupled with the departure of younger Puerto Ricans, leaving an aging population facing health complications.
In 2022, Puerto Rico's death rate exceeded that of the past two decades, even surpassing 2017 when Hurricane Maria devastated the island. The increase in deaths appears to continue into 2023. Puerto Rico's Health Department acknowledged the unusual mortality rate, attributing it to COVID-19 and a doctor shortage, but did not delve into other contributing factors.
The analysis by The Post and the Center for Investigative Journalism reveals that aside from COVID-19, leading causes of death included cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, drug overdoses, kidney disease, and dementia — conditions often manageable with routine medical care. Deaths from Alzheimer's, heart disease, and mental health causes notably increased in 2022 compared to the historical average.
Experts emphasize that reversing this surge in death rates requires addressing social, economic, and political problems that have undermined medical services. In Aguas Buenas, the death rate spiked by nearly 50%, showcasing the broader challenges faced by Puerto Ricans, especially the elderly, in accessing essential healthcare.
Gómez Falcón's family believes her death was not an isolated incident but symptomatic of a series of failures undermining the health of Puerto Ricans, particularly the elderly. The delayed ambulance, they argue, was just one aspect of a more extensive and systemic problem plaguing the island's healthcare system.
