Tres proyectos simplificados de atencion primaria de salud y su efecto sobre la nutricion y la salud infantiles

Abstract

This article considers the effects on child nutrition and health achieved by three simplified primary health care projects developed by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama in rural areas of Guatemala from 1969 to 1981. The first of this projects encompassed four non-indian communities of El Progreso department and the other two, several Indian communities in the departments of Solola and Suchitepequez. In all of them, curative and preventive services were provided by primary health care workers supervised by a physician that made periodic visits to the community health care centers. These workers included nursing and perinatal auxiliaries, health promoters, and traditional birth attendants trained in the examination, diagnosis and treatment of patients. In addition, a program was carried out for the vaccination of expectant mothers with tetanus toxoid. A substantial reduction of infant mortality was observed in the course of the three projects. The reduction was most pronounced in El Progreso, where children and expectant mothers received food supplements. There was also a marked improvement in the nutritional status and growth of the children. In view of the current worsening of the economic problems of the Latin American countries and the impracticability of allocating more funds to health care, the authors suggest extending health services by means of simplified primary