A new initiative has positive impact in maternal and infant health in Honduras

More about the project:   Project Implementation Document  Project Appraisal Document  Social Assessment and Indigenous People Plan  Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet  Environmental Assessment  Development Credit Agreement  Related Publications:  Poverty Assessment

November 9, 2007 — In rural Honduras more than 12,230 people are being served through the Health Sector Reform Project being implemented in different communities throughout six departments (Santa Barbara, Copan, Lempira, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan and Comayagua).  Sixteen health units have been established as part of the project’s new management models similar to Clínica El Guante in Talanga.   Through the Health Sector Reform Project, more than 14 Maternal and Infant Clinics have been supplied with medicines and equipment for the amount of six million lempiras.
As a result of this new model being implemented by theHealth Sector Reform Project, communities which have been historically marginalized from health services are now accessing them through the descentralized and performance-based contracting for Maternal and Infant health services.  This new model emphasizes promotion activities, prevention and assistance to families, guaranteeing universal coverage.  Simultaneously, as it seeks equity in the distribution of resources, social participation is facilitated and health services are offered according to the needs of people.  

The Health Clinic La Caridad, located at El Guante, offers reliable service and medical attention on a constant basis.  Julia Magdalena Cadenas started working there three months ago.  She says that there is a lot of work because approximately 35 to 40 patients attend the clinic daily.   She highlights the fact that emergency cases are sent to Tegucigalpa with the clinic’s ambulance. 

Dr. Obed Lara also recently started working in the clinic.  He expresses his satisfaction with the work there and compares it to previous experiences in both his private practice and in other public health centers.  He notes,  “the environment is nice and organized in comparison to the traditional health centers.”

Dr. Lara states that he prefers this system to the others because, “there is more doctor-patient contact because treatment is more direct and there is also excellent teamwork.”  He considers that there is harmony and unity in the working environment and that the clinic operates under the supervision of a Canadian organization, counterpart of the Health Ministry, which provides the guidelines as to the management of the clinic and receives a financial contribution from the community.  The Dr. Lara adds that the community leaders are in charge of keeping an eye on the organization to ensure excellent performance at the clinic. 

Health Clinic "La Caridad"

Among the patients that visit the clinic is Mercy Díaz who  has been a patient at the clinic ever since it started to operate.  As she is pregnant with her third child, every month she visits the clinics for control of her pregnancy.   She is quite pleased with the treatment she receives and recalls that her family “has faith in the clinic” because one of her nieces was born sick with pneumonia and was treated and cured at the clinic.  To get to the clinic, Mercy has to take the bus (as she lives far from El Guante) but this doesn’t bother her because she keeps up with controls which are free of charge and her children are also treated when needed for a small fee of 150 lempiras per year ($7 dollars) and she can take them there as many times as she needs too. 

The life of the people that have access to the Infant Maternal Clinics has changed considerably given that now they receive a better treatment than before.  The Clinics have a daily schedule and there are certified doctors and nurses available as well as the necessary medicines for common health problems.   Adrian Fozzard, the Resident Representative of the World Bank in Honduras, notes, “The Health Clinics are an excellent example of a results and performance-based system.  We have seen an improvement in the attention provided to the patients.   Without any doubt this is the result of the constant supervision of the members of the community.”  The total cost of the Health Sector Reform Project, which started in March 2002, is less than 27 million dollars. 

Medical Supplies Clinic "La Caridad"

The Health Sector Reform Project has the objective of improving and increasing the quality of the health coverage, through the implementation of a health sector reform strategy.  The project is improving access and the quality of the health services for the poor served by the Ministry of Health.  It also is providing support to continued efforts to improve performance of the Social Security Honduran Institute

Likewise, the services rendered by the Ministry of Health with regard to the distribution of resources are also being strengthened.  Special attention is being provided to projects to strengthen the mother-child relationship, as well as the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the problems of the poor.