Immunization Program.

On October 2001, we started the first integral family health program in Santa Ana.

Santa Ana is a town with a population of 5000 people spread out in an area of approximately 46 Km2, located 18Km. Southwest of Cuenca. Life conditions, as in all rural areas, are very poor.

The health situation showed all the indicators of underdevelopment: high incidences of infectious diseases, high child and maternal mortality; only 30%of children had completed the immunization program and malnutrition was at a rate of 64.7% in the population under 5 years of age.

The illiteracy rate was high: 13.8%. Only 29.6% of the adult population had completed elementary education and 0.4% had reached higher education.

The housing situation is alarming. Even though almost every family are homeowners, 60% of the houses have a single room, 75% do not have running water, only 15% have a bathroom and just 8% have a telephone.

We divided the area into 4 zones with approximately 300 families, with an average of 5 members for each family. A team, consisting of one doctor and one health promoter from the community, is in charge of each zone and is responsible of carrying out the integral health program mentioned before.

Results

At the end of the year 2005, we have de following results in Santa Ana.

1- Information: We keep updated information about the population and age distribution in each one of the four zones as well as the results in every component of the program.

2- Immunization: 100% of children have been vaccinated according to the Ministry of Health Program.

3- Growth, Development and Nutrition:

Workshops have been given to doctors, health personnel, teachers, mothers and persons related with food distribution. Demonstrative gardens at the health sub -center and some communities are maintaining in order to stimulate food production. Nutritional supplements of the PANN 2000 program are distributed.

The impact of this program in children nutrition is evident:

4- Integrated Care of Prevalent Childhood illnesses: The incidence of acute diarrhea in children has decreased. There are no significant changes in acute respiratory infections. Research projects about intestinal parasites and internal contamination of homes, have been carried out.

5- School Health: Control of school children twice a year and treatment of the pathology are carried out. Chronic malnutrition has been reduced.

6- Reproductive Health: We have achieved 100% of prenatal and postnatal care; nevertheless we do not reach our goal of 5 prenatal controls per mother, the number is only 3.9 per mother. We promote institutional delivery. We have increased significantly from 52% in 2003 to 85 % in 2005.
There are 69 women in the birth control program and we have performed 14 tubal ligations.
Papanicolaou tests have been carried out.
Some of these numbers are still very low due to cultural reasons.


7- Youth Program: Sports competitions are organized in the communities. Health education conferences have been organized.

8- Elderly and Handicapped Program: We have the registry of elderly and we are identifying their needs in the joint program with the town women association.

9- Oral Health: An agreement was signed with the University of Cuenca Dental School to take care of oral health promotion, prevention and treatment of oral pathology.

10- Mental Health: In agreement with the Center for Mental Problems, a program for diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems is being carried out.

11- Pathology Treatment: The Santa Ana health center attended 40 hours a week. We now have 24 hours a day attention. We also have regular attention in 14 health posts in the communities. A pharmacy and a basic laboratory have been implemented .

12- Traditional Medicine: We are collecting information about herbal medicine and traditional healing customs in the community.

13- Environmental health: We mentioned before the research projects about risk factors for intestinal parasites and internal contamination of homes conducted in order to have a scientific basis for further actions. Educational programs in hygiene and methods to achieve safe water and safe food are constantly being carried out.