Tarija, Bolivia — An elderly man who underwent prostate surgery in Bolivia has paid his doctor with chickens. Dr. Álvaro Ramallo Zamora agreed to provide the cancer surgery free since the aged man was unable to pay.
After his July 24 surgery, the man returned to pay the Tirija doctor with two chickens.
“Very excited and happy” the doctor said explaining that “the grandfather did not have money to undergo prostate surgery to which I offered to operate on him within the Dr. José Ramallo Guillen Foundation.”
He says he was amazed and moved when the man returned with two chickens as payment. “Such is my amazement when he takes out two chickens as a gift to pay me back, this excited me and it moved a lot,” he said.
Ramallo Zamora recalled that many years ago, people gave his father animals or agricultural products for medical care, since his father was also a doctor.
“On a day like today, it reminded me of how 40 years ago in Tarija there were patients who paid you with chickens or eggs or the famous barter system,” he said.
