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The prevention, diagnosis, and integral care of STs, HIV, and opportunistic diseases in the vulnerable populations of Escuintla, Guatemala

The Foundation Sida i Societat, together with the National Hospital of Escuintla, will implement the project ‘The prevention, diagnosis, and integral care of STs, HIV, and opportunistic diseases in the vulnerable populations of Escuintla, Guatemala'. The objective of the project is to improve the care and coordination of the distinct services of the hospital involved. The following results are expected: to provide an adequate space for a laboratory to diagnose STs, HIV and other infections, and obtain an improved system for the register of data.


CONTEXT
En Guatemala, 87,252 people live with HIV which represents 0.08% of the adult population. It is estimated that 8,908 new infections will occur every year making it one of the Central American countries with the greatest prevalence. HIV is basically transmitted in the region through sexual relations, 83% of the infections are located within the inter-border corridor which is where the department of Escuintla is located. More than 50% of the population there lives in situations of poverty, and 15% in extreme poverty.
 
PROJECT
The main activities of the project are focused on improving the assistance and coordination of the distinct services of the National Hospital of Escuintla through the following: the capacity-building of the health providers from the Integral Care Unit (ICU), the Barcelona Clinic, and the Fundació Sida i Societat (FSIS) in integrated communication and coordination; the drawing-up of a protocol to standardize the process of reference and counter-reference for the patients and users of the Hospital; the performance of epidemiological analyses from integrated result databases in the Barcelona Clinic and ICU; and the supply of clinical provisions and equipment for a space of workshops.
 
The project also focuses on the laboratory with a number of activities in the ICU and the Barcelona clinic of Escuintla, including remodeling and furbishing a laboratory space for the correct diagnosis of STs, particularly HIV, and other infections.
 
BENEFICIARIES
The 1,210 direct beneficiaries are people who live with HIV, the users of the clinic; they are generally female sex workers, and transsexual and homosexual individuals. The indirect beneficiaries are the families of these patients, some 5,324 people.