Healthcare in Crisis: The Impact of Bolivia’s Economic and Political Turmoil
Bolivia is facing an economic and political crisis that is hitting its people especially hard, with soaring inflation driving up the cost of living. Inflation, combined with import scarcity, is disrupting daily life—including access to healthcare. Throughout this crisis, Solidarity Bridge has stayed informed through news monitoring and regular conversations with our partner doctors and sister organization Puente de Solidaridad, ensuring our operations remain agile in responding to the growing need for affordable medical care and equipment.
Puente de Solidaridad reports that more patients than ever are avoiding medical care because they cannot afford it. Others wait until their conditions are advanced—when they are harder to treat. This delay has led to an increase in severe cases and worsened treatment outcomes. Surgeries for cancer, gallbladder disease, and hernias, for example, have far better results when performed early. But financial pressure forces many to postpone treatment until it’s no longer viable.
The financial crisis stems largely from the sudden devaluation of Bolivia’s currency, the boliviano ($b). The exchange rate has been fixed at around $1 = $b6.9 for years, but the depletion of international reserves has created a dollar shortage, driving the fluctuating street value to as high as $b20 per dollar. In a small country reliant on diverse imports, the effects are widespread.
Patients waiting for care at Hospital Materno Infantil, in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Puente de Solidaridad social worker checks-in patient during mobile surgery campaign in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Dr. Carlos Brockmann, a Solidarity Bridge partner and heart surgeon, notes a dramatic rise in medical equipment costs. Cardiac valves, oxygenator kits (vital for open-heart surgery), and other key products Dr. Brockmann relies on to treat his patients have doubled in price. Worse still, some equipment is no longer imported because distributors cannot access dollars to place their orders, especially while they are unsure anyone will be able to afford to purchase them. "There aren’t enough dollars in the economy to buy equipment internationally," Dr. Brockmann explains. As a result, some surgeries are no longer possible. When we last spoke with Dr. Brockmann, he reported nine procedures on hold due to the shortage of oxygenators.
Solidarity Bridge is working hard to address both challenges—supplying critical medical equipment and keeping our surgical programs running. Each year, we contribute over $1 million in supplies and equipment, a contribution that grows more essential as shortages deepen.
Picking up medical equipment donations in Evanston, IL in February
In May we shipped a container to Bolivia with over 18,000 lbs of medical equipment and supplies. These include essential materials for pediatric open-heart surgeries, such as perfusion packs—tubing and other disposable components that connect a child to a heart-lung bypass machine—to allow specialists like Dr. Brockmann to continue to treat patients identified through our heart program. The shipment also includes sterile surgical supplies for our mobile laparoscopic surgery campaigns—sutures, trocars, instruments, hernia mesh, anesthesia materials, and more. As these items become unaffordable for patients and doctors to procure locally, demand for our support has surged.
Our shipping container full of medical equipment heads to Bolivia, May 2025
The container also includes an autoclave for a hospital unable to perform surgeries due to a broken sterilization system, along with gowns, gloves, surgical fields, lap sponges, and other pre-sterilized supplies—making it possible for surgeries to safely resume.
The container carries over 18,000 lbs of medical equipment and supplies
And although our focus is on surgical equipment and supplies, our recent shipment includes products desperately needed for routine but essential healthcare of patients across the country. This includes a large stock of ostomy supplies for patients living with colostomies, many of whom are recovering from complications of Chagas disease, common in rural Bolivia. With prices soaring, many people with colostomies have resorted to improvised or reused materials. Our donation restores dignity, hygiene, and quality of life.
Our partner doctors and surgery programs have become lifelines for countless patients who cannot afford basic care—a number that continues to grow. Without access to these surgeries, many Bolivians face worsening health, disability, or even death. Our services are often their only option.
As Bolivia approaches a presidential election in August, Solidarity Bridge remains committed to meeting these challenges with steadfast compassion. We will continue working closely with local partners to ensure critical care remains available to those who need it most.
To learn more about the ongoing economic crisis in Bolivia, read this article.