Nursing

health, productivity, diversity

They are rural, with many small villages and cooperatives.

They comprise many remote communities, with difficult communication and transportation because of bad roads, mountainous terrain and jungle.

Most are traditional indigenous (Mayan) communities where the first (and often only) language is one of the Mayan dialects.

They are culturally distinct, with traditional medicine and practitioners.

They have high levels of extreme poverty.

Since European conquest, they have suffered a history of racism, exclusion, and violence as described elsewhere on this website. During the recent civil war, a large proportion of the roughly 200,000 killed were in rural indigenous communities in the north.

Because of the lack of public funds and/or the lack of political will, there has been an inadequate budget for nursing in these regions of the country.

In any case, it has been very difficult to entice nurses to move from urban centers to work in rural and remote parts of the country.

Increase the quantity and quality of nurses available to work in the rural north of Guatemala.

Support nurses once they are on the job in those regions.

After church, a long walk back into a remote village the municipality of Cahabón, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, which cannot be reached by road. It is obviously very difficult to provide health services to such communities.


	health, productivity, diversity
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Health & Equity Guatemala Health Projects Overview Nursing in Guatemala Nursing Education Nursing in the Field Canadian Cooperation Social Justice BC Coast	Objective: Improve Nursing for Rural Guatemala The northern departments of Guatemala have the following features: They are rural, with many small villages and cooperatives. They comprise many remote communities, with difficult communication and transportation because of bad roads, mountainous terrain and jungle. Most are traditional indigenous (Mayan) communities where the first (and often only) language is one of the Mayan dialects. They are culturally distinct, with traditional medicine and practitioners. They have high levels of extreme poverty. Since European conquest, they have suffered a history of racism, exclusion, and violence as described elsewhere on this website. During the recent civil war, a large proportion of the roughly 200,000 killed were in rural indigenous communities in the north. The rural north of Guatemala has traditionally had very poor health services. It lacks facilities, but its main problem is a lack of health care professionals. Statistically it is short of doctors, but it is most glaringly short of nurses. There are several related reasons for the nursing shortage: Because of the lack of public funds and/or the lack of political will, there has been an inadequate budget for nursing in these regions of the country. In any case, it has been very difficult to entice nurses to move from urban centers to work in rural and remote parts of the country. Canada faces similar challenges of course, trying to provide health care to northern communities, which are typically rural, remote, poor, indigenous and disadvantaged. In Guatemala we have focussed on two closely related objectives: Increase the quantity and quality of nurses available to work in the rural north of Guatemala. Support nurses once they are on the job in those regions.	After church, a long walk back into a remote village the municipality of Cahabón, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, which cannot be reached by road. It is obviously very difficult to provide health services to such communities.