A group of UADY students held a rally at the Monument to the Homeland to show their support for the young doctors Mariana and Karla, one found dead in Ocosingo, Chiapas, a few days ago and the second in the health center of Tahdziú, Yucatán, last September.
Among the protesters was Mrs. María Ku Coba, Karla’s mother. All demanded justice for these two deaths, as they assured that the medical interns carry out their work in precarious conditions, alone, far from home, and enduring abuses of all kinds, as in the case of young doctor Mariana, who allegedly committed suicide in an apartment in Ocosingo, Chiapas, weeks after reporting a case of sexual abuse.
“I am torn apart. My daughter who had the illusion of being a doctor, was cornered, put between a rock and a hard place until she finally took her own life, ” said Mrs. Ku Coba, whose daughter committed suicide at the Tahdziú health center, allegedly due to a severe case of depression.
The protesters read a petition statement addressed to the state government and in favor of medical interns who work as scholarship holders in health institutions.
Among other things, they asked that places where neither the university nor the State government guarantee security for interns, must be canceled and that the amount of the scholarship offered, must be increased.
Likewise, provide legal protection and support if required, medical care for interns, and establish better communication strategies between students and advisers.
“We believe that social service students should be able to enjoy the rights that they have in the same way that they are required to fulfill their obligations,” the statement said.