Letter to the Editor: Why aren’t our local doctors accepting new patients?

Editor:

Back in the early 1990’s I lived in La Ceiba, Honduras for eighteen months. At that time Honduras had a reputation as a backward and dangerous third-world banana republic. But despite that, on the one occasion I fell ill, I was able to walk into a local hospital, see a qualified physician, and receive medical treatment.

So imagine my surprise when I called the local hospital in Socorro to schedule an appointment with a doctor only to be told they aren’t taking new patients. Their advice was to call a local clinic. I did. They also told me they weren’t accepting new patients and advised me to drive to Belen or Albuquerque.

For a 70-year-old man who no longer owns a vehicle, has bad hips, and experiences constant dizziness, driving 50-70 miles up the Interstate to see a doctor isn’t an option.

Mayor Ravi Bhasker would have citizens believe that the high cost of electricity is the single largest crisis facing Socorro; accounting for both a population and business decline.

I would strongly disagree and counter with the question: Why would anyone move to or invest in a community that routinely denies healthcare to those in need despite having a hospital and clinic? So one can sit around popping aspirins like M&Ms all day while praying one’s health doesn’t further deteriorate?

And to think La Ceiba was considered backward.

Randy Clark

Socorro