Puesto de Salud Jose Olaya

MINSA (Ministerio de Salud) is the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Their mission is to protect personal dignity, promote health, prevent disease and ensure comprehensive health care for all inhabitants of the country. MINSA is responsible for proposing health policy guidelines in consultation with all public sectors and social actors and to ensure that health care is accessible.

The Ministry of Health is dedicated to providing every Peruvian with the opportunity to receive health care. During the early 1990's, MINSA began reviewing the conditions of both urban and rural health facilities. Not surprisingly, most of the medical centers were situated in and around Lima. As a result for every 400 people in Lima there was one doctor, however, in the northern part of the country it was one doctor for every 12000 people.

The members of MINSA decided that they had to start implementing a program that would ensure that anyone who needs to receive medical attention will receive it. This goal was not easy to achieve as over 70 percent of Peruvians live at or below the poverty line. As an attempt to try and make health care more accessible MINSA launched Peru's HealthCare Policy which would provide free or low cost health care to low socio-economic individuals.

MINSA works in every region of Peru. They work to ensure that the sick and infirmed all over the country are able to seek medical attention.

None.

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This is a government institution, however, like most social services in Peru, they are underfunded. The government spends about 2% of the GDP on healthcare, which works out to be about $90 per person.

How many people at the organization speak English?

There is some English spoken.

Any medical/clinic supplies such as masks, sterile needles, medicine, etc.

This small medical center caters to over 6000 people, most of whom are in relatively poor health due to lack of nutrition and access to medical care. In addition, the Puesto de Salud Jose Olaya is seriously understaffed, having only one doctor, one nurse, two technicians, and a part-time obstetrician and a part-time pediatrician. There are simply not enough people working there to help all those who need it. Volunteers can help by providing hands-on assistance with taking blood pressure, registering patients, and weighing and measuring children to help ease the workload on the staff.

What tasks will you be required to fulfil?

-Sit in on patient-nurse appointments. Since it is a public heath type placement you will see mostly nutrition problems, child development and pregnancy issues.

-Assist triage: this includes everything from weighing patients to measuring their height to taking their blood pressure.

-Assist in the administration of the vaccination campaigns.

Devise presentations or workshops on topics such as HIV, pregnancy, sexual health, tuberculosis, or hygiene.

Monday - Friday

How many hours per day?

Dr. Orrillo works at the clinic from 8am - 2pm and from 2pm - 6pm making house calls to those in the neighbourhood. The volunteer will assist her at the centro from 9-2, although at the volunteer's request, alternate arrangements can be made, such as travelling with the doctor into the community.

The doctor, Jacqueline Orrillo, would be your primary supervisor. You may also work with the nurse, technicians, and medical students. In your day to day work you will be seeing patients from the surrounding Pueblo Joven.

Any medical background would be a huge asset to the placement.

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It is very important to be willing to help and to be able to be optimistic.

People who have difficulty seeing extreme poverty, malnutrition, etc.

The Puesto de Salud Jose Olaya, is a medical clinic servicing the community of Distrito de Independencia. The clinic is situated in a new building and the medical facilities are clean. The clinic is quite small as it has less than half a dozen rooms for patients and no space for overnight stays. There is only one doctor for the entire Pueblo Joven, which has a population of 6000 people.

This placement is in the District of Independence, in the North-Eastern part of Lima. Independencia, as the region is called, is home to many shantytowns, called Pueblos Jovenes, or Asentimientos Humanos, which are often built up into the foothills on increasingly unstable ground. Extreme poverty is rampant in these neighbourhoods, including the Pueblo Joven Jose Olaya, where this placement is. Most of the inhabitants lack the basic necessities of life, including clean drinking water, accessible healthcare and medicine. The majority of the residents of this Pueblo Joven are children who in many cases have never been to see a doctor.

Lima is a city of 10 million (though some estimates put the population as high as 15) divided into 50 districts, steeped in culture and rife with history. Founded on the original site of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro's landing, Lima sits directly on the Pacific coast, stretches inland to the foothills of the Andes in the east, and edges the deserts to the south.

The geographic and historical disparity that surrounds this largest city in Peru is mirrored in the people, culture, and nature of Lima. It's not uncommon to see Franciscan priests walking the ocean view promenades, while bankers and businessmen hustle past emailing on their cell phones, as a polio crippled child sits begging for money. Polluted and poverty-stricken in parts, affluent and developed in others, you can see on a daily basis the well entrenched class system that rewards few and handicaps many.

At one time Peru was the homeland of several prominent Andean civilizations, with the Incas certainly being the most well known. The incredible Incas built astonishing mountain temples, palaces and other buildings. They had no mortar and they constructed almost 10,000 miles of roads, engineered functional bridges and built aqueducts to transport their water.

In 1535, Fransisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador, arrived in Lima and began his conquest throughout the country. Pizarro is known throughout Peruvian history as the man who would later effectively end the rule of the Incas and their last king Tupac Amaru. W hile Pizarro's deeds here in Peru read like a demon's resume, the inherent scope and bravado of his endeavor makes his story fit for the silver screen. An important port since its inception, Lima has the Spanish footprint firmly imbedded on its architecture and culture.

For almost three hundred years, Peru functioned as a Spanish colony, but in the early 19th century, native discontent and colonist revolts brought calls of independence, localized uprisings, and then, civil war in 1821, with the Spanish finally defeated in 1824.

Lima's climate is quite mild considering it is located in the tropics and in a desert. There are two main seasons in Lima which are often referred to as the summer and winter seasons.

The summer season occurs from December to April with average temperatures range from 15-30 degrees. The weather is usually very sunny and very little rain fall occurs at this time.

The winter season occurs from April until November with average temperatures from 5-20 degrees. During this season it is usually quite overcast with the occasional shower.

Humidity is relatively high all year round in Lima particularly in the mornings. As a result, a morning fog is usually produced from June to December. During the summer season, it is sunny, less humid, than in the winter when the humidity tends to rise.

Where to begin? Lima is home to pretty much every diversion that any traveller could wish for.

If you like surfing you will enjoy trying to surf the waves of the Pacific ocean. Surfing in the Pacific, museums and cathedrals (with catacombs!), paragliding, fine restaurants (amazing sushi!), and a great night life are all easily accessible.

As the entry point for most foreign travellers, every point of interest in Peru is easily accessed via Lima by bus or plane. The beaches of Mancorra and the funky town of Trujillo to the North are a $30 bus ride away. The Nazca Lines and Baellstas Islands are only hours south.

Mountain biking in Arequipa and the home of the famous pisco sour (a local cocktail) is nearby. And of course the town of Cusco, set amid the Andes, holds the door to Macchu Picchu, Chococurrou, and many of the rich trekking opportunities that Peru holds. Also Puno and Lake Titicaca (the Islands of the Sun are gorgeous) are a flight away.

You will be taking a combi (bus) which is the most common way of getting around in Lima. Combis vary widely in terms of size and condition, and can fit anywhere between 10 and 40 people (but during rush hour people are squeezed in). Each combi costs between 1-2 soles (30-80 cents) depending on the distance you are travelling. For some placements you will have to switch buses one or more times.

To get to Puesto de Salud Jose Olaya you will be taking two combis. One from the BaseCamp which should take about 1 hour and cost 2 soles each way, and the second which will take about 10 minutes and cost 1 sol.