Loreto Medical Facility
We
have created a special fund that focuses on the
improvement of the
medical services for the inhabitants
of Loreto by supporting the creation of a
state-of-the-art
medical facility.
The
relative isolation of Loreto has provided a
difficult challenge for the
provision of quality health care for its
residents. This has been
evidenced by the inability to recruit specialty
physicians as well as
by the lack of modern, sophisticated medical
equipment. Currently, the
level of medicine is that of a rural general
practice. Eighteen family
physicians are practicing in three different
general practice clinics.
The hospital, the Centro de Salud, is
essentially a clinic with basic
laboratory and imaging capability. There is no
operating theatre or
ICU. There is no blood bank, ultrasound, or CT
scanner. Patients who
require admission are stabilized then
transferred by ground to the
regional hospital in Constitucion (120km/2 ½
hours). The major referral
hospital for the State is in La Paz, another 1
½ hours south of
Constitucion. Trauma care is a significant
problem for residents and
tourists. Loreto is situated on the
trans-peninsular highway and
vehicular traumas, as well as sport related
accidents, are frequent.
Delays in treatment for trauma, cardiac
emergencies, and complications
of pregnancy have resulted in increased
morbidity and mortality for the
patients. The need for improvements in the
quality of medical care is
immediate.
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