Santa Cruz Barillas Clinic
Project Description
What:
This project will install the medical records system in a remote Guatemalan clinic that serves children with a very rare type of cancer. This same clinic serves a surrounding population of 200,000 people.
Where:
This west-central Guatemalan clinic is in a very remote and mountainous area. It inaccessability makes treating the children time-consuming, costly, and painful.
Why:
In addition to serving a population of 200,000, the two doctors and four nurses at Barillas treat a group of children suffering from a rare form of skin cancer known as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). These children cannot tolerate sunlight, and their disease is terminal. Their condition necessitates traveling by night to keep them out of sunlight. They spend eight painful days per month travelling to see a specialist. He believes if they could use an electronic medical system, the necessary pictures could be transmitted to him via computer, and the children could be spared this strenuous travel.
How:
The Gnosis Medical Project will implement a web-based, secure electronics medical records system that can run without internet connection. In Barillas, internet connection is present but limited. Nevertheless, the medical records system can take advantage of this limited connectivity to enable on-line consultation with specialists who can help treat these children.
Expected Results:
For the 200,000 people served by the Barillas clinic, the medical records system means better health care. For the children with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), the system means potential delays in the lethal effects of the cancer and a significant reduction in the painful and lengthy travels to their specialist.
Resources Needed:
Because of the remote location of the Barillas clinic, and the population served, costs to provide the necessary equipment, training, monitoring and follow-up are expected to range between $25 to $30 thousand
Please send your tax-deductible contributions to:
The Gnosis Medical Project
P.O. Box 6817
Charlottesville, VA 22906