AHD EMBARKS ON SECOND PROJECT - AT LA MANA

Building on the success in Pedro Vicente Maldonado, AHD has begun work on a second project in the city of La Maná. Below is a brief overview of the new location:

The immediate community served by this project is the city of La Maná and the surrounding communities in La Maná county, Cotopaxi province. On the western edge of the Andean range, this province is the poorest in Ecuador. The city of La Maná has 30,000 inhabitants and another 20,000 in the immediate surrounding area. Taking into consideration neighboring communities, upwards of 70,000 people are potentially served by Hospital La Maná. 70% are poor, indigent, marginalized sectors of society with an average family income of less than $250/month. 2007, Pedro Vicente Maldonado hospital revenues have consistently outpaced expenses. We are proud to report that PVM is operating, as predicted, at 100% cost recovery.



The demographics are representative of a typical developing country: 40% children; 25% women of reproductive age; 10% elderly patients. The population ranges from 20% native Ecuadorian Indian; 70% mestizo; and 10% Afro-ecuadorian.

The epidemiologic profile of the community is also characteristic of a poor, largely rural developing country. Maternal mortality from ecclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and sepsis are among the highest in the western hemisphere. Lifetime risk of death from a complication of pregnancy is about 1 in 50 women, compared to roughly 1 in 10,000 in the US. Typical childhood diseases include pneumonia, diarrheal disease, intestinal worms, and meningitis. Typhoid fever, malaria, tuberculosis are significant public health problems. Environmental threats such as snakebite, organophosphate toxicity, machete injuries, and motor vehicle accidents are widespread.

Hospital La Maná currently attends an average of 1,200 emergencies, 40 childbirths, 10 surgeries, and 90 hospitalized patients each month. There are primary care outpatient services also offered at the hospital. Medical personnel working in the hospital or emergency area currently include 4 non-residency trained general physicians, a non-residency trained surgeon, and a non residency trained anesthetist. 4 nurses and 5 nursing assistants comprise the nursing department. Two additional general physicians attend in the outpatient area. No X-ray services are available in the hospital. The provincial capital of Latacunga, with its regional hospital, is a 5 hour bus ride from La Maná.

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