Toza

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Toza is located in the province of Coclé, in the western part of Panama. A typical house in this community is made of cement blocks. Toza has a multi-grade school that offers kindergarten to 6th grade. Most of the community members work in agriculture, construction, and unskilled manual labor. There is a health outpost in the community, but it is not always able to attend patients. Toza has a turbine aqueduct and gravity aqueduct that function well except in the dry season when the water must be rationed. The top needs expressed by the community were improvements to the health outpost and the school.

District: Nata
Province: Coclé

Homes : 250
Population : 345
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : No
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Yes
Community Health Workers : No
Homes with Latrines : 90%
Education : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Panama City : 3 hrs

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.

Toza has a Puesto de Salud in the community, but community members must travel by bus to the nearest Centro de Salud. The 3 most prevalent illnesses in Toza as identified by community members are colds, prostate cancer, and diarrhea.

28

Volunteers

141

Patient Consultations

N/A

Vision Screenings Provided

N/A

Health Education Workshops

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

The community of Toza does not yet have Community Health Workers. Global Brigades Panama Medical Program is working diligently to train volunteers as CHWs in its partner communities as part of the Holistic Model. Toza will receive training as soon as possible to further support the health of its community members.

Community Health Workers, or Agentes Comunitarios en Salud (ACeS), work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities. Their 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

Brigaders assist the pharmacist at a clinic in Toza

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Toza’s school building (pictured above). The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, then shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 5 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 198

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN TOZA

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Santa Clara University Medical Brigade March 2019 28

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

DENTAL CARE ACCESS

A brigader treats a young patient with fluoride in Toza

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.

57

Dental Patient Consultations

12

Extractions

N/A

Fillings

43

Fluoride Treatments

BRIGADE INFORMATION

Brigaders assist the pharmacist at a clinic in Toza

Medical and Dental Brigade clinics are hosted in Toza’s school building (pictured above). The various stations of the clinic are held in the classrooms. Volunteers assist with intake and triage, then shadow local doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Each day of the brigade, an average of 5 educational workshops or charlas are facilitated with the clinic’s patients.

  • AVERAGE PATIENTS ATTENDED: 198

MEDICAL/DENTAL VOLUNTEERS IN TOZA

Chapter Date Number of Volunteers Chapter Date Number of Volunteers
Santa Clara University Medical Brigade March 2019 28

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Toza but has not yet begun with the Water Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of a water system infrastructure, or repairs to existing infrastructure will start as soon as feasible.

 

Water System : Yes
System Type : Gravity aqueduct
Homes connected to water : 100%
Water council : Yes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Toza but has not yet begun with the Business Program. In the planning phase, local staff is working with community members to assess the economic needs of the community, establish a community bank, and identify micro-enterprises that can benefit from on-brigade consultations.

Community Bank : No
Community Bank members : N/a
Economic activities : agriculture, skilled manual labor
Existing microenterprises : 2 small shops

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Toza but has not yet begun with the Public Health Program. Now in the planning phase, the financing, delivery, and installation of household health infrastructure products will start as soon as feasible. 

Homes with flushing toilets : 90%
Homes with latrines : 100%
Homes with bath/shower : N/a
Common house materials : concrete blocks, zinc

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature