Health
|
|
Infant
mortality within the municipality is 48:1000 live births.
Of the 62 municipalities in Amazonas, only two other municipalities have
higher infant mortality statistics. The main public health base for the region
remains the local state hospital in the nearby town, which has about 152
employees. Depending on the
political influence at the time, there can be 4- 6 general doctors, often
employed cheaper from peru and Bolivia without relevant professional documents
to practice. The
Health Agents program was implanted in March 1999, for which the
Municipality receives a financial incentive from the Federal governor.
About 50% of health agents
are employed by the municipalities secretary of health (temporary), and 50% are
employed by the State (permanent). There
is one health agent in the river community village, who deals with all health
matters from his home, as there is no health post. The most common infections
being: intestinal, respiratory, worms, amoebic dysentery, diarrhoea and
dehydration, malnutrition, flu, anaemia, gastritis, hansens disease,
tuberculosis, dengue, sexually transmitted diseases, leishmaniasis. They depend
on who is directing the health agents in the local town, as to whether the local
health agent receives materials and medicines for wound care etc. Urgent surgery
cases must be transferred to the
capital, this can be a life or death situation depending on whether the family
has money for transport to the City. It
takes about 3 hours by foot to reach the town hospital from the community, Many
who suffer, prefer to stay where they are and wait for “the divine” rather
than carry out this difficult journey. There are three health bodies, the
national foundation of health who carry out prevention and treatment of malaria.
They have fluvial and road transport. Working material is donated by the
ministry of health. The
national plan which attends the local health needs including vaccination
programmes for children and pregnant mothers, milk programmes for the
malnourished, diabetic and hypertension programmes, control of tuberculosis and
recently sexually transmitted diseases, and the world health organisation who
send medicine for the prevention and control of Hansens disease.
Depending
on the mayors distribution of finances, a boat trip is made yearly to the
regions local communities to carry out vaccination programmes, ie: BCG to
prevent tuberculosis and dog and cat rabies vaccination programmes. |
|