Special Appeal - Spring Fiesta 2024

Hospital San Juan de Dios - El Carmen de Viboral – Antioquia

Reaching out to those in need

This year, funds raised through our Special Appeal will go primarily towards supporting the Hospital San Juan de Dios in El Carmen de Viboral, Antioquia. This hospital provides a range of services, including immediate resuscitation, emergency care, outpatient consultations, and critically mobile unit brigades.

Hospital San Juan de Dios reaches out to remote rural areas like the veredas and corregimientos of El Carmen de Viboral, to try to ensure timely and appropriate care for children and youth, thus upholding their fundamental right to health.

Urgent access to basic health services, including disease diagnosis and prevention, is crucial for children and youth living in extremely impoverished and vulnerable areas far from El Carmen de Viboral Municipality, where transportation is lacking.

The hospital lacks some essential medical equipment and technology to reach remote rural areas and provide comprehensive healthcare access, prevention, and education. Consequently, children and young people in these areas often suffer emotional trauma due to their physical conditions and basic needs.

Equipping the hospital with requested mobile transport equipment, including ultrasound, dental units, blood pressure monitors, and organ equipment, will significantly enhance service provision. Mobile brigades, staffed with multidisciplinary teams, can reach distant health centres, serving both locals and populations from 50 other sidewalls and 8 neighbouring districts, thus saving lives. Additionally, a neonatal incubator is essential for immediate care of newborns, currently transported in makeshift containers, while hormone equipment in the clinical laboratory prioritizes emergency tests for pediatric patients with heart conditions, enabling better clinical management.

Mobile brigades, equipped with portable medical gear, help bridge inequalities by reaching populations in nearby health centres or conducting preventive care days at schools and educational institutions.