The World Today
Salto Hospital postpones checkups for Cancer Month
In the midst of Cancer Month, the hospital is scheduling appointments for December. Outrage is growing. Women are speaking out. And the system is silent.
October. Breast Cancer . Month of prevention, awareness, pink ribbons, and institutional speeches promising care, commitment, and sensitivity. But in Salto, the reality is different. At the Regional Hospital, women seeking a breast ultrasound receive a response that not only disappoints them, but infuriates them. They are scheduled for December. Two months later. In the best-case scenario.
The Uruguay Al Día received dozens of messages from outraged patients. Women who came to the hospital hoping for basic checkups only to find a wall of bureaucracy, an empty schedule, and glaringly absent care. What should be a healthcare priority becomes an absurd wait. What should be prevention turns into neglect.
Women report abandonment at the Salto hospital
Marta, a resident of the Saladero neighborhood, put it bluntly: “It's a rip-off for users. They tell you to come in October, that there's a campaign, that there's priority. And when you arrive, they book you in for December. What's the point? What are they celebrating? The delay?”
Doña Laura, a 67-year-old retiree, was more direct: “It's a total disgrace. I have a criminal record. I came on October 3rd, and they gave me a December 20th appointment. What if I have something? What if it's urgent? Who's responsible?”
Silvia, a mother of three , expressed outrage: “They tell us there are campaigns, that there is awareness. But when you make an appointment, they make you wait two months. Is that prevention? Is that caring for women?”
Mariana, a primary school teacher, was clear: “I went on October 2nd. They gave me December 18th. What are they waiting for? For it to be too late? This isn't a lack of resources. It's a lack of respect.”
Lucía, a cancer patient undergoing follow-up, added: “There's no mammogram, no doctor, nothing. Just excuses. And meanwhile, we keep waiting. What happens if the cancer progresses? Who's responsible?”
Graciela, a downtown merchant, summed it up in one sentence: "This isn't public health. It's institutional neglect."
Salto Hospital doesn't respond, cancer doesn't wait
The official response from the Salto Regional Hospital was brief. It was reported that "care is being reinforced with external support." But users aren't seeing any improvements. What they do see are distant deadlines, a lack of response, and a campaign that seems more cosmetic than effective.
Outrage is growing. Women are complaining that the hospital is failing to fulfill its basic role of prevention, right in the month when screening is supposed to be stepped up. According to official data , breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among women in Uruguay. Early diagnosis saves lives. Delay can be fatal.
What's happening at the Salto hospital?
The question is repeated in every testimony. Where are the resources? Where is the mammogram? Where are the doctors? Where is the management? Where is the respect for women who wait, anguish, and feel abandoned?
Because this isn't an isolated demand. It's the cry of hundreds of women who don't want to wait any longer. Because cancer doesn't wait. And neither should public health.
Public health in Salto: empty promises, distant shifts
Every October, the Ministry of Public Health launches campaigns, posters, commercials, and press releases that speak of prevention, awareness, and commitment. But in Salto, those words clash with a reality that contradicts them.
What's the point of talking about prevention if there are no appointments? What's the point of talking about awareness if there's no care? What's the point of talking about commitment if women have to wait two months for an ultrasound?
The institutional campaign becomes empty marketing. It's propaganda without substance. It's a mockery of those who truly need attention.
Salto Hospital and institutional silence
What's happening in Salto isn't an isolated error. It's a symptom of a failing system. A system that prioritizes rhetoric over action. A system that pays lip service to fine words but fails to guarantee the most basic things: timely and appropriate medical care.
And the worst part is that no one admits it. No one comes forward. No one apologizes . No one explains why, during Cancer Awareness Month, women have to wait until December to find out if they're healthy.
Indignation turns into denunciation
From Uruguay Al Día , we collected more than 40 testimonies from women who came to the hospital in October and were scheduled for December. Some with medical history. Others with symptoms. All with fear. All with anger.
And all with the same feeling: the system is abandoning them.
What happens if the cancer progresses?
This isn't a rhetorical question. It's a real possibility. Because breast cancer, if detected early, has a high probability of successful treatment. But if detected late, the consequences can be devastating.
Every day of delay is a risk. Every week without a diagnosis is a threat. Every month without care is an act of institutional irresponsibility.
Who takes charge?
The hospital? The Ministry? The regional government? Is anyone going to be held accountable for these delays? Is anyone going to explain why, during the month of prevention, care is being postponed?
Because if no one takes responsibility, then we're facing institutional negligence. A serious breach. An omission that can cost lives.
No more excuses. No more silence.
The women of Salto aren't asking for privileges. They're asking for the bare minimum: timely and proper medical care. They're asking for respect. They're asking for Cancer Awareness Month to be not just a publicity campaign, but a concrete action.
And they're asking the hospital to stop hiding behind excuses. Because institutional silence is part of the problem.
Where is the State?
The Uruguayan State has an obligation to guarantee access to healthcare, especially in critical areas like breast cancer. Especially in inland areas where care is already limited.
But in Salto, the State seems absent. Invisible. Indifferent.
The role of the media: saying what others keep quiet
At Uruguay Al Día , we are committed to speaking out what others keep quiet. To publishing what makes people uncomfortable. To amplifying the voices of those who are not heard.
Because journalism isn't there to please. It's there to inconvenience. To denounce. To demand.
And in this case, the demand is clear: immediate care for all women who need it. Not in December. Not when it's too late. Now.
This isn't a mistake. It's a disgrace.
What's happening at Salto Hospital isn't an administrative error. It's not a technical failure. It's not an exception. It's an institutional disgrace. It's an example of how the system can fail just when it's most needed.
And it's a warning. Because if Cancer Awareness Month becomes an empty campaign, then we're losing more than just time. We're losing lives.
