Marshal Estigarribia, September 18, 2023. 526 km from the capital of Paraguay, Asunción, is the Boquerón Regional Hospital, located in the town of Mariscal Estigarribia, in the Paraguayan department of Boquerón – Chaco, with an estimated population of 68,080 inhabitants. Boquerón is characterized by its indigenous populations (60%), Mennonite groups of Canadian and European origin (15%) and Paraguayan-Latin Creoles (25%), which determines its great cultural diversity.

Through technical cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Protection, PAHO/WHO Paraguay has strengthened the surgical sector of the Boquerón Regional Hospital to improve resolution capacity and health coverage for access of the population, the majority of whom belong to indigenous communities residing in areas of difficult access and sometimes very far from healthcare services.

The cooperation consisted of the acquisition of a sciatica (lighting equipment mainly used in surgery) and a surgical bed for the operating room. The delivery and installation of the equipment took place on the morning of August 24 and the same afternoon they were launched thanks to two successful interventions. Two consecutive cesarean sections were performed on pregnant patients with risk factor 1 (patients with asymptomatic HIV infection status), which was possible thanks to the coordination of the head of Pronasida at the regional hospital in Boqueron, Dr. Florinda Enriquez, who monitors patients. with HIV, with the head of primary health care of the Boquerón Health Region, Lic Alfredo Arguello, the family health units of the communities and the surgical team of the hospital.

The surgical team responsible for the surgical interventions consisted of Dr. Zady Alegre, gynecologist, obstetrician, Dr. Santiago Caballero, surgeon, from Lic. Mercedes Ferreira, anesthesiologist, from Lic. Laura Acosta, operating room nurse; who expressed their great satisfaction at being able to carry out their duties with quality equipment allowing them to provide better care to patients.

The two women were postpartum without obstetric complications, the newborns were received in good conditions:

• First male newborn at 38 weeks gestation weighing 3,200 g.
• Second female newborn at 39 weeks gestation weighing 3020 g.

It should be noted that the two surrogate mothers belong to indigenous communities located more than 100 km from the hospital, one in Uj’elhavos, in the district of Philadelphia, Boquerón department and the other in Nicha Toyish, in the district of Teniente Irala Fernández, department of Presidente. Hayes, which allows technical cooperation to directly benefit the most vulnerable populations, with difficult access and other health regions that, due to the accessibility of the service network, go to the Boquerón Regional Hospital.

PAHO technical cooperation continually works to strengthen health services in the Paraguayan Chaco to leave no one behind.