Star Metro - Bolivia blockades make saving lives 'ordeal'

Oxygen and medicines are in short supply at hospitals in the city following nearly a month of blockades and protests against the Bolivian government, and she worries he will not get the treatment he needs.

Hinojosa broke down in tears as she recounted the difficulties of getting her son to the hospital from El Alto, a suburb of La Paz, where they live at an altitude of 4,150 meters (13,600 feet).

It is difficult to navigate the debris that protesters are using to block the city with a child with asthma and a heart murmur, the 44-year-old mother told AFP.

"I can't expose him to this stress, to walking so much, because he's on medication," she said, adding that the trip "is a real ordeal."

Demonstrations began in early May with trade union demands for salary increases, stable fuel supplies and sounder economic management.

But the movement has intensified, with protesters calling for President Rodrigo Paz to step down.

Demonstrators have blockaded entry routes into La Paz, shops have shuttered for fear of violence, and food, medicine and fuel supplies are running low.

"Medicine is getting more expensive, and some are running out," said Hinojosa, who makes a living working two jobs -- making empanadas and working as a carer.

At least four people have died because they did not receive timely medical care due to the blockades, according to the government.

- 'No medicine' -

At the Clinicas de La Paz public hospital, one of the oldest and largest in the country, the shortage of medical oxygen is critical.

Neurosurgeon Enrique Coritza, head of the surgical unit, told AFP that the hospital's current supply of oxygen will last only a few days.

"Starting Thursday, Friday, Saturday, we don't know what the situation will be," he warned.

Christian Calle, head of the hospital's pharmacy unit, complained that the "oxygen distribution" by suppliers does not meet "the hospital's actual needs."

At the entrance to a recovery room, 63-year-old Ruth Angulo watches her son recover from a stroke.

"There are no medicines" at the hospital, she said, explaining that she had to search private pharmacies for his drugs.

- 'Nutrition deficiencies' -

Food shortages are also affecting the hospital.

"We don't have beef, we don't have chicken, and we don't have vegetables, which is leading to nutrition deficiencies in patients," Calle said.

"We're measuring, rationing and cutting back on portions so there's enough" for the patients, she explained.

Angulo's son used to be given "soup and a main course," but now "the portions are getting smaller," his mother said.

The situation is similar in hospitals across La Paz and El Alto, according to a report on Monday from the health ministry.

Neighborhood groups have protested in recent days to demand an end to the blockades, with people holding banners with slogans including "The people can't take it anymore."

A.Hill--SMC