|
COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT - SAN JOSÉ DE CHIQUITOS
San José de Chiquitos is a town located 290 km east of the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
It has a population of 40,961 inhabitants, 70% of whom live in rural areas and the remainder in the town of San José.
The rural population consists of 26 legally registered indigenous farming communities, plus more than 50 intercultural communities in the process of legalizing their territories.
On June 4, 2024, a meeting was held with leaders of local farming and indigenous communities to evaluate community needs.
The following priorities were identified:
- Medical care.
- Outpatient medical attention for rural communities located between 20 and 100 km from the main hospital, making patient transport difficult in economic and logistical terms.
- Hospital hemodialysis treatment for patients who require it, both in rural and urban areas.
On June 5, 2024, an interview was held with the Director of the Municipal Hospital of San José to assess medical service conditions.
The following needs were identified:
- At least three complete hemodialysis units are required to meet demand.
- There is a need for an educational program for the prevention of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
- There is a need for a nutritionist to provide guidance on healthy eating.
A subsequent meeting with representatives of the Municipal Health Department concluded that:
- San José de Chiquitos has a second-level hospital serving all municipal residents.
- The Municipal Hospital currently operates two hemodialysis units that serve both local patients and those from neighboring municipalities that lack such services.
- The hemodialysis service attends 12 patients weekly, only three days per week, leaving about 30 patients untreated (around 1,000 annually) due to lack of available hemodialysis equipment.
On June 6, 2024, a meeting with the Mayor of San José de Chiquitos-who holds the highest authority over the local public health system-concluded:
- The need to expand the hemodialysis service is recognized.
- The municipality lacks the financial resources to purchase or expand hemodialysis services.
- The municipality can, however, cover the costs of expanding the dialysis room and provide the necessary human resources and supplies for its operation.
RELEVANT DATA
- 5,420 people receive hemodialysis treatment in Bolivia (as of March 2024), with an annual increase of 12-14%. (Source: Ministry of Health of Bolivia)
- The monthly cost of hemodialysis treatment is approximately Bs. 9,000, exceeding the national minimum wage (Bs. 2,500).
- Patients from San José who need dialysis but cannot access local treatment must travel 290 km to Santa Cruz, incurring lodging, food, and transport expenses for both patient and caregiver.
- Given that 70% of San José's 40,960 inhabitants live in rural areas with limited means, accessing dialysis in the capital is practically impossible.
- 29% of hemodialysis patients in Bolivia are in Santa Cruz. There are about 2,000 patients requiring hemodialysis in Santa Cruz, but only 700 dialysis machines registered in the public system. (Source: Ministry of Health of Bolivia)
- The rise in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Bolivia is driven by aging, diabetes, hypertension, and other risk factors.
- Bolivia ranks third in the region for mortality caused by CKD (Source: PAHO-WHO).
OBJECTIVES
- Provide three hemodialysis machines to the Municipal Hospital "Bernardino Gil" in San José de Chiquitos - Santa Cruz.
- Develop a campaign to prevent kidney disease through workshops and mass media outreach.
GOALS
- Increase weekly treatment capacity from 15 to 30 renal patients.
- Conduct three workshops on kidney disease prevention:
1. Workshop for youth: promoting healthy diet and lifestyle.
2. Workshop for seniors (60+): promoting nutrition and preventive/curative care.
3. Workshop for rural communities: focusing on preventive health and quality of life.
SUSTAINABILITY
- Encourage active participation of local institutions.
- Rotary Club Santa Cruz de la Sierra will provide ongoing support and oversight.
- The Municipal Government of San José de Chiquitos will expand the dialysis room to house the donated machines, provide necessary supplies, maintenance, and personnel, and assist in organizing preventive health workshops.
- The Senior Citizens Center of San José de Chiquitos will host one workshop for its members, focusing on early CKD detection and treatment.
- The San José Volunteer Health Group will coordinate preventive workshops in local schools (Santa Clara and Marista) for students over 15, raising awareness about kidney health.
BUDGET
ITEM DETAIL UNITS TOTAL US$
1 Hemodialysis Machines 3 69,230.00
2 Dialysis Chairs 3 2,885.00
3 Prevention Workshops 3 360.00
4 Workshop Materials & Printing 1,400.00
5 Publicity and Plaque 1,000.00
6 Bank & Administrative Expenses 4,057.75
TOTAL 78,932.75
FINANCING
Funding Sources US$
Rotary Club Santa Cruz de la Sierra 5,000.00
- District Designated Fund (DDF) 4690 15,700.00
DDF 4510 4,500.00
DDF 7090 1,000.00
Rotary Club St. Catharines 1,050.00
World Fund 16,960.00
Total Funded 44,309.00
Remaining to Finance 34,623.00
RESOURCE MOBILIZATION
The project is currently raising additional funds through Rotary International and the Santa Cruz community.
The first fundraising event will be held on November 7 at the Santa Cruz Casa de la Cultura - a benefit concert featuring the renowned Baroque Music Orchestra of San José de Chiquitos.
Tickets cost Bs. 100, with the option for attendees to contribute more if desired.
Together, we can save lives!
Centro de Proyectos de Servicios ( https://spc.rotary.org )
| 
