Patients / Conditions

Population

In the Peten Department, the patient population is served in rural clinics.  Patients include formerly exiled Guatemalans now resettled in Guatemala, as well as long-term community residents. Interest is increasing from adjacent communities as well.  Approximately 70% are indigenous Maya and 30% are Ladino.  Each community has a different history and ethnic mix.  Both males and females of all ages are seen. Adult, youth and children visit the clinics and are cared for by "health promoters" community health workers. Medical doctors visit the clinics on a rotating basis, typically once a month. Hospital visits are a rarity due to expense and lack of transportation.

Common Illnesses

Malnutrition and physical stress are leading causes of illness.  Common ailments include respiratory problems, chronic muscular pain, joint and shoulder pains, migraines, stomach disorders, femala distress, malaria, trauma of various kinds, and symptoms of post traumatic stress.  

Traditional midwives, known as comadronas handle some 80% of childbirths and related women's conditions such as diarrhea and anemia.  Typically they assist women in their communities with pregnancies, births, and aftercare.  Poor nutrition is an underlying cause of pregnancy related illnesses and childhood deaths.

Medical Practices

Lay practitioners are trained through a series of community-based health care courses. These practitioners, known as promotores/promotoras de salud, attend to patients.  Their medical practice includes primary and preventive care, with referrals for surgeries or other care requiring specialized equipment to government clinics, or at the regional hospitals.  Rural agricultural workers  typically earn $2.00 per day and cannot pay for private care, medications (often purchased by the dose) or fee-based services in government facilities.

Health promoters employ both modern western or allopathic medical diagnosis and natural plant medicine in treatments.  Health promoters who practice acupuncture integrate it with "western" methods.  In general, health promoters use an integrated approach, with treatments varying according to their experience and training, and the patient's preference.

Community Health Clinics

Community members themselves often build health clinics in their communities.  Clinics are constructed with wood and cane for walls and thatch or tin for roofing.  They are very basic facilities with minimal sanitation.  They often have dirt floors, open ventilation, and little privacy. Solar power and/or generators that run on limited quantities of stored power or fuel may provide electricity and water. Composting toilets are frequently seen.

Health promoters usually earn no salary. However, shared labor for common community needs such as staffing health clinics is routine. Service at clinics is free or low-cost; small charges are made for medications.

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