Valle de Cañete, Primary Health Centre and Training Project (Peru)

The timely contribution to the Los Alamos Centre made possible the provision of services to people facing the detrimental effects of the El Niño phenomenon. The implementing agency in Peru was Promotora de Obras Sociales y de Instrucción Popular (PROSIP). The project was jointly funded by Reledev and AusAID. This 2-year Primary Health Care Centre project in Peru provided much needed medical assistance to rural communities in the outskirts of Lima.

From the Los Alamos Centre a promotion on preventive medicine was carried out to control various diseases. The project also delivered a program of immunisation, a program to monitor growth and development of 148 children and a nutrition support program. In addition, direct medical attention and laboratory tests were conducted at the Los Alamos Health Care Centre itself. Services included paediatrics, medical, surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics.

Health promoters were trained to identify typical community ailments, their causes, and their treatment. Community health promoters were supplied with medicines through this program. Their task is to identify unhygienic household and community practices, which lead to disease and introduce change at the community level.

Seminars were also organised for teachers, journalists, medical practitioners, nurses, nursing students, medical assistants, youth leaders and the community at large.

Awareness raising campaigns on the importance of appropriate rubbish disposal was achieved in cooperation with the local authorities. Ten latrines were installed with water sources inspected and monitored.

Project Summary Details

Number of Medical Cases:

Disease	Cases treated
Acute respiratory diseases	231
Acute diarrhoea	236
Tuberculosis	471
Immunisation (vaccinations)	1,474
Total cases	2,412

Number of Patients provided Direct Medical Assistance	2,957
Number of Laboratory Tests Conducted	2,419
Number of Training Courses Delivered	11
Number of participants to training courses	1,100