This November, a team from Probitas traveled to Paraguay to inaugurate the laboratories of the Teniente Irala Fernández Health Center and the Campo Aceval Family Health Unit. With these two new laboratories, the Probitas Laboratory Reinforcement Program will be present in 15 countries with 35 diagnostic laboratories in operation.

As part of this program, which aims to strengthen the capacity of clinical diagnostic laboratories in the most remote and vulnerable regions of the world, we have promoted the improvement of infrastructure, the purchase of equipment, the training of laboratory staff, and health education in the communities served by these two health centers.

Currently, 30% of Paraguay's population lives in endemic areas and is exposed to infection with T. cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease. The communities of influence of these two centers in the Paraguayan Chaco are extremely isolated and dispersed and did not have the necessary diagnostic equipment and trained staff to carry out a quality diagnosis. This was a serious problem in terms of access to health care, and this project has improved the coverage and quality of diagnosis in Chagas disease to facilitate its treatment in the early stages of infection.

Community Impact

We are especially aware of the importance of these projects being sustainable over time in order to have a real impact. In this sense, Javier Zulueta, international program manager of Probitas Foundation, stressed the importance of working both in health care and in disease prevention tasks. For this reason, Zulueta recalls that "workshops and specific activities have also been carried out to reinforce the knowledge and awareness of the communities about the disease".

The improvement of laboratories not only leads to a strengthening of the fight against Chagas disease, but also reinforces child health programs, the follow-up of pregnant women and chronic pathologies and, in general, promotes the primary care program for more than 25,000 people in this area of the Paraguayan Chaco.

For her part, Dr. Anna Veiga, general director of Probitas Foundation, highlights "the commitment of the health staff of these centers and the trust of the community in the health promoters. They are the eyes and ears of doctors in the communities".

Partnership with ISGlobal

The project has been carried out by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), with extensive experience in Chagas disease, together with the CIRD Foundation in the field and in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare through the XV Health Region of Paraguay.

Probitas Foundation is part of the Chagas Coalition that promotes knowledge and action to reduce the human suffering caused by Chagas disease and ultimately control Chagas disease.