Medical Delegation Visits Rural El Salvador

A delegation that included doctors, residents and medical students of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology traveled to Ilobasco, El Salvador in May 2008. Their mission was to train local doctors and nurses in the technique of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) for cervical cancer screening. The trip was arranged through a partnership with BasicHealth: El Salvador.

The clinic was located in Ilobasco in the Department of Cabanas, and over the course of one week the delegation saw nearly 700 patients while training nearly a dozen local doctors and nurses. The clinic also provided vital information for clinical research on the effectiveness of VIA screening.

Eight exam rooms were set up in a temporary space at the Hospital Nacional De Ilobasco. A regional campaign advertised the clinic and women were provided with transportation to the hospital, as well as offered free eyeglasses as an incentive for undergoing cervical cancer screening. Although the target population for VIA is women aged 30 to 45, patients of all ages showed up, many with their children in tow.

The local paper, La Prensa Gráfica, ran an article about the delegation titled "Capacitan a Médicos Sobre Cáncer Uterino" (en Español) in its May 18, 2008 edition.

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Delegations are formed twice a year. For more information, please visit BasicHealth: El Salvador or contact Miriam Cremer.

Images below are from previous delegation to Cuscatlán, El Salvador in November 2007. Click on photos to enlarge
Corridor of Cojutepeque National Hospital	One of six temporary exam rooms set up in the hospital's classroom
Some of the nearly 700 patients seen wait for their VIA screening	Nurses from Cojutepeque National Hospital that received VIA screening training from the delegation
US Members of the Delegation with El Salvador's Minister of Health, Guillermo Maza	US and El Salvador Members of the Delegation