In La Paz, thousands of children struggle to survive every day because they have no access to medical care. Our Street Doctors are there for the children and look after their well-being in three mobile practices. The teams, consisting of doctors, dentists and paramedics, offer physical and psychological help free of charge, enabling many patients to receive the care they need every month. They not only help street children, but also visit prisons and schools, as well as families living in extremely poor conditions. Treatments and check-ups are offered and preventative measures are carried out.

Patient numbers for June 2022

A total of 1547 people received medical treatment through the team in La Paz in June.

Report from our managing director on site: Adriana Rivas Volgger

Due to the current winter vacations, there are hardly any children in schools at the moment, which is why we primarily examined and treated patients on the street or at children's and youth meeting points this month. We have also used this time to visit more of the districts on the outskirts of the city, where access to medical treatment is otherwise virtually impossible.

Since the beginning of the year, we have been operating our three mobile surgeries ("consultorios moviles") without interruption. Two of the surgeries are equipped so that dental treatment is also possible. A two-person team, consisting of an internist and a paramedic, is responsible for each outpatient clinic. Of course, the team of the two practices with dental treatment also includes a dentist. We are also supported by a pharmacist and a lady who assists us with logistics and coordination. With the help of each individual, we try to treat as many children as possible each month. To do this, we visit their homes - which unfortunately is often the street - or we find them in youth centers. We visit some of them in prisons where their parents are incarcerated. Time and again, we drive up to four hours out of the city to reach patients in very remote areas.

70 % unserer Patienten sind Kinder zwischen 0 – 18 Jahren, davon sind 12 % Kleinkinder (< 5 Jahre). Normalerweise kommt der Großteil der Kranken aufgrund von Magen- oder Darmbeschwerden, aber in den Wintermonaten häufen sich Atemwegserkrankungen. Bedingt durch die Coronapandemie ist die Patientenzahl etwas gesunken; Grund dafür ist die nach wie vor erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit der Bevölkerung sich vor ansteckenden Krankheiten zu schützen. Es werden immer noch viel Masken getragen werden und es wird stärker auf Händehygiene geachtet.