In the scenario of violence, there are collateral victims who suffer the consequences not only of the firearm, but also of the health system that exacerbates the emergency, as happened to the informal vendor injured in the middle of the murder.

While the 38-year-old woman was selling mature cheese with cheese on the outskirts of the shopping center, she was hit by a bullet in the chest, which the killer fired in the direction of another subject. As if the wound was not enough, her relatives had to take her to several health centers that refused to accept her due to lack of complaint. She spent four hours in the bin of the van looking for the one that could help her in various clinics! It is the concern of every citizen. People have the right to emergency care at the nearest possible hospital, whether it is public or private.

According to the Law on the Rights and Protection of Patients, no person can be denied assistance in an emergency; it even indicates that each request can be resolved once it is stabilized. Failure to do so can result in serious penalties.

The authorities must control that events like that of the trader do not happen again, in addition to working to reduce violence on the streets, because unlike what happened to her – who managed to save herself – there have been other deaths of collateral victims in recent months: people who were at or near the place where the attacks or clashes took place.

Equally, security forces must pay due attention to health centres, which have also recently come under attack, which in turn instills fear in their staff when they arrive with gunshot wounds.

It remains for us to work together so that logic and humanity come before fear or economic interests. Nothing is more valuable than life. (OR)