The program showed the death of the patient while the doctors were trying to revive him. (Representative)
La Paz:
A television station sparked controversy in Bolivia on Thursday after broadcasting the last minutes of a COVID-19 patient’s life live while doctors were desperately trying to save him.
The “No Lies” program said it had decided to show the death of a COVID-19 patient in a hospital in the eastern city of Santa Cruz, to urge the authorities to act who neglected health services.
The program is broadcast every evening on the PAT chain based in Santa Cruz, in a region with approximately 60% of the 21,000 cases in Bolivia and approximately half of its 679 deaths.
The program showed the patient’s death over a period of 30 minutes while the doctors attempted to resuscitate the patient.
Country mediator Nadia Cruz criticized the show for “sensationalism”, saying that she “repeatedly” and morbidly “showed images showing cardiopulmonary treatment performed on a person, which unfortunately ended by death “.
The show “is clearly in conflict with the national legal order,” said Cruz, adding that it “can generate a kind of collective fear”.
Its office is an independent body appointed to investigate complaints against the government or public organizations.
The show was widely criticized on social media, including by leading journalists.
“What a disrespect for the family, for the dead. We have lost a lot with this virus, including empathy,” said journalist Maria Trigo, of the El Deber newspaper in Santa Cruz, in a Twitter message.
Fabiola Chambi, a journalist with the daily Cochabamba Los Tiempos, said that the dissemination of the death showed “a lack of respect and humanity”.
The government has yet to comment on the controversy.
