On September 10, we visited the community of El Progreso in the district of Carabayllo, where the Socios En Salud, where the Casas de Salud project is being developed, an initiative that means establishing small health spaces in the community, with a doctor, nutritionist and psychologist to attend to people who require health care.
We spoke with physician Christian Meza, who works in peri-urban areas of Carabayllo, in places that are difficult to access. From his perception, public health in Peru is in situations of need; however, Socios En Salud has taken a large initiative which seeks to support state services and give support to the population through free medical consultations; it is not only an impact initiative but also a strategic one as SES goes deep into emerging population centers that show more need and remoteness.
The attention in the community, goes beyond, indicates the doctor Meza, “The need to work there is felt, the health centers are not supplied to serve the entire population in their respective sectors. So, the population that most needs medical attention is the one that is most neglected.”
Bringing health care closer
Meanwhile, mothers in the community mention that to get medical attention they had to get up early as early as 4 a.m. and sometimes even getting up early did not get them an appointment.
“Having health personnel close to my house helps us, so I congratulate the doctors who attend us for their willingness and kindness.”
The health team, who rotate through different areas of Carabayllo, indicate that the most recurrent health problems in the community are respiratory diseases, followed by anemia as a consequence of malnutrition, a disease that leads to learning problems, a weak immune system, risk to psychomotor development, lower life expectancy, among others.
Meza indicates that the key solution is education in prevention, “A community that knows how to prevent has more chances of living healthily.”