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News/Event Item
Andean Health & Development opens new hospital in rural Ecuador.
Nearly 1000 gathered in the bright sunlight on March 12th for the official inauguration of a new hospital in Pedro Vicente Maldonado, a city in the northwest region of Ecuador's Pichincha Province. The day marked a pinnacle for Andean Health & Development (AHD) and a step forward for the rural poor of Ecuador.
For the past 5 years AHD, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, has been working to build a primary healthcare system in rural Ecuador through innovative partnerships with the Ministry of Health, the local municipal government and with the private sector. The new hospital has been the result of this partnership.
In attendance this day were many dignitaries who serve on AHD's board including Father Theodore Hesburgh, President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame and Co-founder of the Peace Corps; Dr. Julius Richmond, John D. MacArthur Professor of Health Policy at Harvard University and fomer U.S. Surgeon-General; Dr. Michael Heisler of the Morehouse School of Medicine and former Director of Programs for the Task Force for Child Survival and Development of the Carter Center, as well as representatives of the U.S. Embassy, local clergy and local politicians.
Part of the inauguration week included a visit with Ecuador's President Noboa, who expressed his continued interest in the cooperative effort between AHD and the government of Ecuador.
The two-story yellow structure was built to be inviting in its goal of serving the community, and is in stark contrast to the cold, grey buildings Ecuadorians typically think of as a hospital. The beauty of the building however, should not distract from the fact that it's function is to serve as a place of healing and saving lives. It has approximately 30 beds (with room to double this amount), an ER, a 6-room outpatient clinic, a laboratory and a pharmacy. Serving a surronding community of approximately 70,000 inhabitants of the region, hopes are that it will ultimately function as part of a proposed network of health care facilities that will operate with the innovative funding structure that makes AHD's model unique.
The opening of this hospital marks the begining of new challenges for AHD, including the completion of a healthcare provider network and the introduction of pre-paid healthcare packages which aim to provide acces to quality care in a system that is truly self-sustaining.
For more details, see http://www.andeanhealth.com
category: Member Organization News : Other Events
contributed by Andrea Welch on 29 April 2001
Latin America : Ecuador
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