In Lima, Peru, patients formed physical queues before dawn to obtain appointments at public hospitals. Peru's Ombudsman's Office inspected several hospitals and publicly documented patients lining up in the early morning to secure appointments.
For people already living with illness or anxiety, waiting became the gateway to care. Because such lines can include older people, pregnant patients and families with children, the order established before sunrise was not merely an administrative detail; it concerned access and dignity. The oversight record makes visible the physical and temporal burden hidden behind an appointment system.