Floods have affected 3,000 health care units in Rio Grande do Sul

Approximately 3 thousand health care facilities may have been affected in some way by the climate disaster in Rio Grande do Sul state, South Brazil. These include doctors’ surgeries, clinics, health centers, and pharmacies. Already vulnerable territories in the state were also impacted: more than 40 quilombola communities, 240 favelas, and five indigenous villages. The data can be found in a survey carried out by research foundation Fiocruz.

According to Fiocruz specialist Renata Gracie, the main objective of the work is to inform strategies to be taken by public authorities and society in the recovery of the affected areas. She stressed it will be necessary to take ever greater care of people’s health, as they may suffer from skin diseases, viruses, and other illnesses related to contact with dirty water.

“Things are going to be complex because of the illnesses. Many health units have been flooded and people won’t be able to access them. So these data are for municipal and state decision makers to look at the scale of the impact and make a diagnosis of the situation,” she stated.

In addition, Gracie said the maps can help the people directly, as they can identify the services that are still available near where their location.

Vulnerable areas 

The technical note indicates an estimated 2.5 million people who have been impacted by these events. The statistics cast light on the need for attention in areas that were already in a vulnerable situation before the disaster. Among them are 167 favelas and five indigenous villages in direct contact with the flood, in addition to those located in the immediate vicinity of critical areas, increasing the risk of severe impacts in the post-disaster period.

The note also mentions risks facing quilombola communities, formed by descendants of enslaved people, which are recognized for their historical and cultural value. There are seven quilombola areas in the flood zone, as well as others that may also have been impacted. “The vulnerability of these communities is aggravated by socio-economic factors and the lack of adequate infrastructure, which are common challenges in historically marginalized regions,” the text reads.