Hospitalito Atitlán (HA) is a small, private, non-profit hospital serving a population of 43,000 Tz’utujil Maya on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Atitlán. Local physicians, nursing, and administrative staff work closely in collaboration with volunteer medical personnel from around the world to provide a comprehensive scope of care, including the only 24/7 emergency and surgical obstetrical care within a 2-hour radius. The hospital is supported financially by Amigos Hospitalito Atitlan, a U.S. nonprofit corporation formed to provide financial, material and human resources in support of subsidized healthcare services in rural Guatemala.
More than 60 percent of the patients speak only Tz’utujil, the local Mayan dialect. Hospitalito staff translates Tz’tujil to Spanish for medical volunteers. HA has gone to great lengths to make services affordable to everyone. Social Workers are available to evaluate the resources of the patient and family and provide up to a 100% discount for those with limited resources.
General clinics are held in the three clinic rooms Monday through Friday, from 8:30 to 12:30 and from 2:30 to 5:00/whenever the last patient is seen. The most common conditions seen are listed below.
Adults
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease/COPD (“EPOC”). This is especially common in woman as they spend much of their time over wood fires.
- Diabetes – Type 2
- Hypertension
- Gastritis/GERD (often H. pylori positive)
- Intestinal Parasites (ascaris, giardia, and entomoeba histolytica are endemic)
- Pneumonia
- Cellulitis and Abscesses
- Non-tropical (due to altitude) infectious diseases
Children
- Colds
- Otitis Media
- Asthma
- Bronchiolitis
- Acute diarrhea with/without dehydration
- Intestinal Parasites (ascaris, giardia, and entomoeba histolytica are endemic)
- Dermatological Conditions
- Malnutrition (replacement of healthy foods with soda and junk food)
Prenatal Clinics
- Pre-existing/Gestational Diabetes
- Grand multips
- Pre-eclampsia
- Need for slow prim-ip inductions
Emergency Room and Inpatients (some services are staff-dependent):
- EKG
- Defibrillation
- Nebulization
- Suturing
- Intubation (for transfer, they do not have a ventilator)
- Lumbar Puncture
- Paracentesis/Thoracentisis/Chest Tubes
- Vaginal deliveries, with suction and forceps if required
- Fetal Monitoring
- Ultrasound
- Induction with Misoprostol or Pitocin
- Magnesium infusion
- Umbilical artery/vein catheterization
- Cesarean section
- Dilation and curettage
- Tubal ligation
- Hysterectomy
- Fibroidectomy
- Cystocele repair, bladder suspension
Education
Fundación K’aslimaal believes that education of staff and the community is an important part of their work. Administration or the department of Social Work organizes these events. Since HA opened in 2005, the staff has been involved in the monthly training that the traditional midwives are required to attend by the Health Department. When a Spanish speaking medical volunteer is available with the ability to teach an important lesson to the traditional midwives, their social worker serves as a translator.
Meetings for the mothers and family members of the women in the Maternal Infant Sponsorship program are held every two weeks in the education room. These classes or “charlas” cover important topics such as danger signs during pregnancy, complications during delivery, breastfeeding, when to take your baby to the doctor, early stimulation, babies first foods, importance of books in the home, and more.
Often, medical volunteers set up informal presentations in the patient waiting room area. Staff education can be formal or informal. Often visiting specialists and organizations schedule educational programs for the staff, or specific technical training. Pediatricians and dentists schedule hygiene talks for the children at the school in Panabaj where the Student Sponsorship is centered.
A scholarship program for HA staff exists. Employees are chosen for scholarships on merit of their work experience.
To learn more about this hospital, please visit their website. Very detailed staffing calendars can be accessed here.
Comments are closed.