At the Tumeremo hospital, with the support of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), about 20 patients are seen daily, twice a week, in sexual and reproductive health consultations. In addition, an average of 10 women are received who attend for the screening of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B.
Photos: Jesus Vargas | MSF
The organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), together with local authorities and the Public Health Institute, has been supporting women from the town of Tumeremo, in the south of Bolívar state, with sexual and reproductive health care since November 2021.
From that date and until May 2022, MSF has treated more than a thousand women in the community through comprehensive, free and confidential family planning consultations at the José Gregorio Hernández hospital. Almost 90% have received some method of contraception and more than 70% a long-acting method of contraception, such as a subdermal implant or an intrauterine device.
The service also has barrier contraceptive methods, such as condoms and emergency pills.
Jessica, with seven children, is one of the women who has been able to access these services. “I had no chance to take care of myself, a month ago they put a device in my arm that will last five years, I hope to be able to bind myself later. When I went to the appointment at the José Gregorio Hernández Hospital, everything went very quickly, I looked the other way and I was ready. The doctor explained everything to me, so far I have felt good and I am calm, one less thing to worry about, ”she says.
Jessica is 27 years old and lives in Tumeremo, in Bolívar state, in southeastern Venezuela. She is sitting on her doorstep with three of her seven children. There she spends her days with her mother, while her husband works in the mines. Her first pregnancy was when she was 14 years old.
One of the main economic activities in Tumeremo is mining related to the extraction and marketing of gold. Many of the women who live in the area are left home alone while their partners go to work in the mines, exposing themselves to various challenges.
In this locality, access to sexual and reproductive health services is limited. Added to this is the high cost and sometimes the scarcity of contraceptive methods that prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
At the Tumeremo hospital, about 20 patients are seen daily, twice a week, in sexual and reproductive health consultations. In addition, an average of 10 women attend for screening for sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B.
Brigitte is 27 years old, she is at home all the time taking care of her five children. Her husband and her seven brothers work in the mines, she has gone to work there.
“When I went to look for an appointment at the José Gregorio Hernández Hospital in Tumeremo, there were more than 400 women waiting, they gave us all an appointment. When it was my turn I went alone, I was scared, but the medical staff explained everything to me very clearly and in five minutes I was ready, with care instructions and some condoms for the first few days, while the implant began to take effect”, she explains. .
Obstetrician-gynecologist Jusluis Rodríguez assures that the impact of the family planning consultation in the hospital has been completely positive for the community. “Knowing that we can help so many women motivates me to continue every day and give my best.”
In addition, the health promotion team works in the hospital and in the community, providing information about services and raising awareness among the population about the prevention of early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as the importance of prenatal care. .
With information from Press release
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