Improve the health of the population through quality health care and education.
Our objective
- Create access to quality health services for people of low socio-economic level in the area of Tecpán, Guatemala.
Provide low-cost services and treatment to people in the community, teaching patients the importance of proper treatment and preventive measures of diseases. - Improve the health status of the most vulnerable population groups that live in Tecpán, including infants, schoolchildren, pregnant women and the elderly.
Promote healthy habits and good health practices in the entire population of the area through education on hygiene, health, disease prevention and healthy lifestyles. - Encourage community participation in the solution of health problems found in the community, mainly chronic noncommunicable diseases (such as diabetes and hypertension not controlled / poorly controlled and its complications).
Our challenge
- The municipality of Tecpán in the department of Chimaltenango has a territorial extension of 201 km2 and has an approximate population of 76, 544 inhabitants, of which 53,189 people live in the rural area. 85% of the population is indigenous. (Data obtained from the work report of the Municipality of Tecpán for the year 2017). It is known that in the municipality of Tecpán there is a health center in the urban area, and several health posts and convergence centers that provide primary care to communities further away from the urban area. However, in many places these institutions have limited resources to serve the population: medical equipment in a dysfunctional state, shortages of medicines and supplies, and lack of trained medical and paramedical personnel.
- The main causes of general morbidity in the municipality include acute respiratory infections such as common colds, tonsillitis, pneumonias (approximately 12%), gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea and intestinal parasitism (approximately 5%), and chronic diseases such as gastritis, diabetes mellitus, anemia. and arterial hypertension. (Data obtained from the work report of the Municipality of Tecpán for the year 2017). Many of these diseases are easily preventable and treated. However, there are still records of mortality within the area due to these causes, as well as cases of disability secondary to the complications of the same.
- The 85% of the population of the area is of indigenous ethnicity, which often decides not to attend the primary care centers of the state due to the difficult access and resources in them. These people seek health care with midwives, healers, bonesetters and other specialists in traditional medicine in the area. However, there is no communication or teamwork between specialists in Western medicine and traditional medicine within the centers that provide health care to the population, which has not been able to provide high quality services with cultural relevance. to the population in need
Our activities
- Attention in the medical clinic from 7:00 a.m. at 1:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Each consultation is low cost and includes the medication that the patient needs, in order to benefit the patient.
- Prevention programs in health through medical evaluations to primary and pre-primary children of the 3 schools with which we work: Paxixil, Pueblo Viejo and El Mirador. This program includes the performance of free medical evaluations on an annual basis, in order to diagnose early those diseases that may affect school performance.
- Three evaluations are made: the visual system (diagnose anomalies and vision problems), the auditory system (diagnose auditory alterations and diseases that can prevent correct hearing) and the cardiopulmonary system (to show heart anomalies and anemia).
- Health interventions in schools. The main intervention carried out with children in schools is deworming every 6 months. This is done in collaboration with the Tecpán Health Center, benefiting more than 600 children.
- Promotion in health through educational talks in schools. These talk about ways to improve the lifestyle and habits of people, including good nutrition, proper hygiene habits, prevention of diseases, among others. These talks are given to mothers or parents in the company of children, to have a greater reach.
- Conduct bimonthly family planning conferences. In these days education in sexual and reproductive health is offered to women, and the Intrauterine Device (IUD) is placed for free.
- Continuing medical education activities with foreign medical specialists. The program called Virtual Classroom has been worked in collaboration with the Spanish organization Información Sin Fronteras -InSFo-. During 2018, two modules were carried out: Pharmacological treatment of diabetes mellitus 2 and the Gynecology and Obstetrics module.
- Conduct of medical conferences with foreign medical specialists. These are done 2 to 4 times a year, with the support of US doctors. These days have a duration of 3 to 4 days where they serve free of charge the most needy people. It has the support of specialists in gynecology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, pulmonology, pediatrics, among others.
Our achievements
- Opening of the medical clinic. The Foundation opened its first clinic in 2015 with the help of DOCARE International, Proyect Cure, Fuego Foundation and Medical Bridges. The opening of the clinic occurred after the completion of several medical days in the area, where patients with chronic diseases were diagnosed and the need to have an equipped and low-cost place where they could advise people and give the necessary follow-up.
- Patient care: Currently, the medical clinic has 2 general doctors who care for the population.
- Conducting medical evaluations (visual, auditory and cardiopulmonary) to more than 600 children from schools closest to the foundation. During these evaluations, more than 50 children with visual problems, hearing problems and cardiopulmonary problems have been diagnosed. These children have been referred to the corresponding specialized center for treatment, or they have been provided with treatment within the clinic facilities. In 2015, an 8-year-old patient was operated on for a cardiac anomaly at UNICAR, thanks to the evaluation and intervention carried out by the foundation’s doctors.
- Attention to more than 600 people during the different medical days held in 2018 by foreign specialists.
- Medical training continues in the Pharmacological Treatment module of DM2 and of Gynecology and Obstetrics. These sessions are taught by Spanish specialists to general practitioners, resident doctors and doctors in training in Guatemala, with the aim of expanding and updating the knowledge on the subject.