Boca de Chiguiri

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Business

Overview


Boca de Chiguiri is located in the region of Cocle and celebrated its transition with Global Brigades in March of 2021. Community members have access to credit through an established and thriving community bank which will support continued investment in local businesses and home improvement projects for families within the community. People in Boca de Chiguiri are primarily dedicated to agriculture and the sale of artisanal crafts. The community is on the wait-list for eventual Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Panama.

Corregimiento: Penonome
District: Cocle

Homes : 49
Population : 150
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : No
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 69
Education in the Community : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Lodging Facility (km) : 10 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Even though Panama is a country with a lot of economic growth, this growth does not apply equally to all Panamanians, especially those in rural areas. This results in stark inequality when it comes to healthcare access. The Panamanian Ministry of Health (MINSA) provides two different types of health facilities throughout rural Panama: Centros de Salud and Puestos de Salud. Centros are the larger of the two, often found in municipalities, and typically have at least one physician on staff at all times with nurses and potentially a dentist. Puestos are found sporadically in rural communities and generally have a single nurse available. 

Even with this coverage, the Centros frequently lack a full pharmacy and the staff capacity to see every patient each day. After walking long distances or paying for a bus, rural visitors to the Centros can expect long wait times given the limited staff and resources to meet the demand from all neighboring communities. The physician density in Panama remains around 630 people for every one doctor. According to the World Health Organization, there should be a maximum of 435 people per physician to qualify a country as having adequate access to medical attention.

Boca de Chiguiri has a Puesto de Salud, and the nearest Centro de Salud is in Toabre, which is 1 km away. In Boca de Chiguiri, community members expressed that the top 3 most prevalent illnesses are colds, fevers, and stomach aches.

125

Volunteers

108

Patient Consultations

18

Health Education Workshops

Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Boca de Chiguiri has one Community Health Worker trained by Global Brigades Panama Medical Program 

Some of the CHW’s primary responsibilities include: educating community members to prevent common illnesses, providing emergency first aid, supporting pregnant mothers and newborns, and following up with chronic patients. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of healthcare supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities.

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Primary school where clinics are held

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Boca de Chiguiri’s school building. The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Each day of the brigade, an average of 7 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 40

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BOCA DE CHIGUIRI

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Turning Winds Academy May 2022 18 River Valley High School May 2022 17
Chaminade College Preparatory School June 2022 14 SI Panama June 2022 18
University of Mary Washington Medical & Wright State University Medical Brigade December 2022 27

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

A dental charla in Ipeti Emberá, Panama

Working closely with the Medical Program, the Dental Program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of a dentist within a reasonable distance.

148

Dental Consultations

93

Number of Extractions

53

Fluoride Treatments

2

Dental Education Workshops

Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN BOCA DE CHIGUIRI

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Turning Winds Academy May 2022 18 River Valley High School May 2022 17
Chaminade College Preparatory School June 2022 14 SI Panama June 2022 18
University of Mary Washington Medical & Wright State University Medical Brigade December 2022 27

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

BOCA DE CHIGUIRI’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in Boca de Chiguiri lack access to financial resources within the community. The majority of community members do not have bank accounts and there are only limited informal forms of credit available.  For example, a person could obtain ‘credit’ at a local store by buying something now and paying later, simply adding it to their ‘tab,’ but there would be no formalized credit transaction.  Larger financial institutions do not approve loans to community members without a fixed income, making it difficult for local micro-enterprises to grow and thrive. Most community members cite the distance to the nearest bank as the main discouragement to having a personal savings account. Even if individuals wish to travel the distance, not all community members can become members of these financial institutions–cooperatives require monthly membership fees, savings accounts often require a fixed income, and the cost of travel provides an additional barrier.

24

Loans Disbursed

Local Businesses : Convenient store, agriculture producers
Economic Activities : agriculture
Community Bank : Yes

BOCA DE CHIGUIRI’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team trained a new Community Bank in Boca de Chiguiri in March 2021. This encouraged the opening of more savings accounts, growth of seed capital, and upon the completion of six months of executive board training, the Community Bank began giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects.

Legal Empowerment

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature