In Ecuador, power-dependent patients wait in anguish as the government imposes hours-long blackouts
In Ecuador, power-dependent patients wait in anguish as the government imposes hours-long blackouts 1 of 6
Power-dependent patients are spending anguishing hours in Ecuador, where a pattern of scheduled electricity outages is affecting their quality of life more and more every day. (AP Video/Cesar Olmos)
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Cancer patient Linda Vidal, who relies on an electricity-powered oxygen concentrator to breathe properly, waits as Gabriela rolls her concentrator out of an elevator, amid the electricity cuts of up to 14 hours a day to deal with a severe drought, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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Cancer patient Linda Vidal, who relies on an electricity-powered oxygen concentrator to breathe properly, sits for an interview to talk about her physical and mental health amid the electricity cuts of up to 14 hours a day to deal with a severe drought, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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Cancer patient Linda Vidal, who relies on an electricity-powered oxygen concentrator to breathe properly, sits for an interview to talk about her physical and mental health amid the electricity cuts of up to 14 hours a day to deal with a severe drought, in Quito, Ecuador, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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A street vendor uses a generator-powered light bulb amid rolling blackouts in Manta, Ecuador, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
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Monica Valiente waits for customers in her candle-lit bakery during a rolling blackout in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The first time the electricity went off at night, Linda Vidal went into panic mode. For more than a year, the 52-year-old Ecuadorian woman suffering from and a chronic respiratory disease has relied on an electricity-powered oxygen concentrator to breathe properly.
Despite her condition, she is one of an estimated 1,000 power-dependent patients in Ecuador who spend hours in anguish as the government imposes to deal with a severe drought.
Like other South American countries, Ecuador has faced a prolonged dry season that has hindered hydroelectric generation, which represents 72% of the national electricity production.
When it’s time for the power to go off, Vidal must sit still without fidgeting, in anguish. for as long as her device is off in order to be able to breathe.
“For me, having a supply of energy is extremely important,” said Vidal, who lives with her younger sister in the capital, Quito. “I depend entirely on my oxygen concentrator, and I am always worried about whether we are going to have power cuts or not so that I can live.”
According to the Ecuadorian Foundation Youth Against Cancer, there are about 1,000 patients suffering from respiratory problems in the country who require the same mechanical assistance as Vidal.
“Their life is at risk. It depends on elements that are basic rights like electricity or water,” said Gustavo Dávila, the foundation’s director.
The foundation says that changing a device like Linda’s for one that works with batteries would cost more than $3,000, which is unfeasible given Vidal and her sister’s modest income.
“The biggest risk I face is that by not being able to breathe I will not get enough oxygen to the brain and will suffer a stroke,” she said.
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