Faced with an ailing healthcare system in Venezuela, Ana Milena Rojas made the long journey over the border to Colombia to find medical help for her unborn child. On the barren Guajira Peninsula, far from Colombia’s densely populated cities, she found help – in a mobile Smart Clinic.
With 51.5 million inhabitants, Colombia is the most populous country in South America after Brazil.1 Over 80 percent of the population already live in cities2 – and those who don’t are increasingly migrating there, since people in coastal and rural regions are disadvantaged in many respects, especially when it comes to accessing healthcare.
A mobile clinic is seeking to address this problem in the poor rural regions of the north. It is a 12-meter-long bus that has been converted into a Smart Clinic, which is equipped to bring basic healthcare services to people who cannot reach doctors and clinics in the cities. The key feature of these mobile clinics is that, in addition to medical equipment, they also guarantee a reliable power supply.
Siemens and Siemens Healthineers developed Smart Clinics as a nonprofit program that brings basic infrastructure to countries where basic healthcare services are limited. They are currently operating in Jordan, Iraq, Colombia and Egypt.
Care in a time of crisis for Venezuelans
The Smart Clinic in La Guajira has become an important point of contact, especially for women affected by poverty. Although it was used as a mobile unit during the Covid-19 pandemic, its approximately 30 employees now focus entirely on providing health advice and care for both pregnant women and families. Migrants from Venezuela, who have increasingly been coming to Colombia since the border crossings were opened, can also benefit from access to medical check-ups and laboratory services with no red tape.
Venezuela has been experiencing an economic crisis involving hyperinflation for years. By August 2023, some 7.7 million people had fled the country – that’s around a quarter of the total population.3 Of those, around 2.9 million live in Colombia.4 Rojas is one of them. This young woman developed complications during pregnancy and, since she had no access to medical care in her home country, she made the arduous journey to Colombia. “We know that in Latin America we are already on the verge of 700 million inhabitants – and we believe that a large part of this population doesn’t have access to quality healthcare,” says Francisco Vélez, Managing Director of Siemens Healthineers Colombia.
Rojas’ new home, Colombia, is currently undergoing health reform as part of a series of proposals from President Gustavo Petro’s government aimed at reducing poverty and inequality. The reform seeks, among other things, to expand primary care, train health workers and strengthen hospital infrastructure5 – three measures that essentially reflect the wider challenge of healthcare access.
A local solution to a global challenge
Limited access to healthcare and diagnostic medical testing is a common plight for many families in low- and middle-income countries the world over, especially in remote areas. All too often, even in developed countries, where you live could determine how long you live – or even if you live. Improving the lives of underserved patients like Rojas calls for innovative ways to make healthcare affordable and accessible to all.
To that end, Siemens Healthineers is using its skills, partnering with stakeholders, implementing new digital solutions across the health continuum, employing flexible financing and business models, and developing devices with fewer infrastructure requirements. Healthcare workforce education is also crucial for capacity building as a basis for healthcare access. To this end, Siemens Healthineers provides education and dedicated training to deliver high standards of service and patient care.
One major lever to pull when tackling this challenge is digitalization, data and artificial intelligence – essential enablers for improving access to high-quality healthcare in remote and underserved regions of the world through, for example, remote scanning, support systems and monitoring.
Providing a holistic approach to gynecological care
Providing pregnant and breastfeeding women with primary and specialized care – via lightweight portable diagnostic devices for ultrasound examinations, for example – is at the heart of the Smart Clinic. However, Rojas found more than gynecological care at the practice: she also received the psychological support that was crucial for her and her child.
In collaboration with the Colombian Red Cross (Cruz Roja), Siemens and Siemens Healthineers have equipped the bus with medical imaging systems, laboratory equipment and other devices. A team of doctors and nurses is now traveling around the country to provide care for mothers and children in places with great need. Sometimes, large families with several children come to the clinic. The team can then offer nonstandard assistance, preventive services and advice for everyone.
This collaborative arrangement makes it possible to provide humanitarian services to those who need them the most. The Colombian Red Cross is also stepping up its efforts to offer support to communities affected by violence, provide assistance to families and promote protection for migrants.
Discover more about our commitment to improving healthcare access for all by visiting our sustainability page.
Sources:
[1] The World Bank. Population, total – Colombia. World Bank Open Data. 2023. Accessed Feb. 7, 2024. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=CO
[2] The World Bank. Urban population (% of total population) – Colombia. World Bank Open Data. Accessed Feb. 7, 2024. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?locations=CO Feb. 7, 2024
[3] Massive Fluchtbewegung aus Venezuela stellt hauptaufnahmeländer VOR große herausforderungen (2023a) Startseite. Available at: https://www.amnesty.de/informieren/aktuell/venezuela-gefluechtete-flucht-aufnahmelaender-verpflichtung (Accessed: 31 July 2024).
[4] MIGRACIÓN COLOMBIA. Colombia experimenta la primera disminución de población venezolana en una década. MIGRACIÓN COLOMBIA. Updated Feb. 21, 2024. Accessed Feb. 7, 2024. https://www.migracioncolombia.gov.co/noticias/colombia-experimenta-la-primera-disminucion-de-poblacion
[5]Colombia proposed health reform could push costs up by $234 million next year | reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/colombia-proposed-health-reform-could-push-costs-up-by-234-million-next-year-2023-11-29/ (Accessed: 31 July 2024).
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