Tanega, Francisco

English

epublications@Marquette

The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 33 | Number 2 Article 20May 1966The Conference of Health Service Personnel forPeru and BoliviaFrancisco TanegaFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationTanega, Francisco (1966) "The Conference of Health Service Personnel for Peru and Bolivia," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 33 : No. 2 ,Article 20.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol33/iss2/20relevant in what they like to call "the post-Christian era." · The problem of the pill is largelyan American problem. Pl1anned Par­enthood International now places itsemphasis largely on intrauterine de­vices. We are not an under-indus­trialized economy. We are not anover-populated country. We haveadded firfity million people to ourpopu1'ation since 1945, ,a 25 percentincrease. During the same period,we have ,added $400 billion to ourgross national produot, our per­capit,a income has doubled and ourunemployment has dropped to be-low 5 percent. acres of land i and only 6 pe; residential pU! We have s our value sys a devaluatior: over-valuatio· have lost the a reward fo· view of the sex. We are, ulati on explc, about the cc all levels of we have a cru ADVICE TO AUTHORS : have two billion '1e United States, · r of it is used fores.a breakdown in .s. We have seen the child, and an }1is education. We se of the child as {. in favor of the l. as a p enalty for ous about the pop· 1 but unconcerned ation explosion at na-turity. In short. ; moral dilemma. Art icles on topics of potential interest to the Catholic p · · . s;cian as a Catholic and as a physician are earnestly solicited. A goodly poi· ·.·n of THE LINACRE QuARTERLY readers are not members of the medical profe3sion but are engaged inallied health fields, teach moral theology, or serve in hospitals, and material fortheir benefit would also be welcome. The subject matter may be predominantlyphilosophical, religious, or _medico-moral in nature. Malcrial should be type· written, double-spaced, with good margins and on one �idc uf the paper only.Manuscripts (original and one copy) should be submitted to the Editorial Officeof THE LINACRE QUARTERLY, 1438 &rnth Grand Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri, 63]04. One additional copy should be retained by the author. Full editor ial privileges are reserved. Ref�rences if used should appear at the end of the article and shouldconform to the usage of the Index Medicus. (This format is that employed in theAbstract Section of THE LINACRE QuARTEllLY.) A brief but pertinent curriculumvitae of the author(s) should accompany the manuscript. The Thomas LinacreAward is .made annually to the author(s) �f the original article adjudged to bethe best to appear in THE LINACRE QUARTERLY during each calendar year. 196 LINACRE QUARTERLY .-The Conference of Health Service Personnel For Peru and Bolivia BROTHER FRANCISCO TAN EGA, FMSI, M.D. rformance of the spiritual r,al works of mercy is as as the Church Itself, dating our Lord's lifetime when He ut doing good and healing · Lord has sa:id that at the ent we shall be held ac­not for our knowledge and but according to whether we have performed all the « mercy toward our neigh-1hat neighbor with whom He · ed Himself.aries in fur-flung areas of-bring home the messageever so effectively bymanrifestaitions of mercy., the theology of ,the Headthe theology of the hand -· ring hands of mercy inof the Church.1'ho else can best typify these g hands but medical mis­In response to ,the late n XXIIl's earnest cry to Amerioa, medical mis-- religious and Jay - werethe first to respond to thechaUenge. From all over the world they have �ome to Latin America bringing with them their intelli­gence, experience, spirit of abnega­tion, and Christian creativity, and ready to help overcome the woeful problems of ignorance ·and dise_ase and to spread the joyful Christian good news of faith, hope, and love. To speak ahout one prominent segment of this vast armada, there are English-speaking groups from the United States, Canada, Ire­land, and the Philippines - doctors, nurses, hospiual administrators, mid­wives, practical nurses, and medical technidans - religious and lay, male and female - lahoring in Peru and Bolivia. Their work ranges from the barren Pacific coast of Peru to the frigid zones of the Andes Moun­tains at elevations close to 14,000 feet ahove sea level, down to the teeming, humid jungles of the Ama­zon, days away from civilization. T h e s e  s turdy peo ple o p erate  Church and government sponsored clinics, dispensaries, and hospitials -from one-room outposts to a 1000-bed modem complex with residents, interns, nursing school, and com­plete lia:borartory facilities and staff. Drawn rtogether by the bond of common problems, a group of 20 of these ,heal,th workers, representing IO religious communities, met for the first time in f963 in Cocha -bamba, Bolivia to share their mutual 197 experiences and to seek a renewal of their apostolic spirit. The need for further discussrions of this type was stated at this time and plans were formulated for further meetings. A second conference was organized in 1964 in Puno, Peru, with SO par­ticipants representing- 16 religious communities, the Papal Volunteers, the World Heakh Organization, the Peruvian Ministry of Health, and the Red Cross. At this time there was an unanimous expression for the desirahi'lity of an organization styled to meet the needs for foreign health service personnel working in Peru and BoUvia. Some of the specific a,ims for this body were discussed as follows: 1) to orientate better and todeepen the understanding of their increas<ing numbers in relationship to the culture and work habits of t·he people served. 2) rto assist in the coordinationand integration of the members' efforts in health service with like efforts on the part of government and other national groups. 3) to provide a program for themembers' continuing education and professional development. 4) to give opportunities for theformation and renewal of an all­important apostolic spirit. With these tentative purposes, the Conference of Health Service Per­sonnel for Peru and Bolivia was or­ganized. From October 12-15 1965 the F<irst Annual Meeting wi:s held i-?. Arequipa, Peru, with 72 par­t1e1pants representing 22 different 198 reliigious com Volunteers, C Caritas, the V zation, and Ministry. G· and discussi _ topics which by a prior c in,teres rt to 1 These subjec peots of the trim.on, marte: health, supe nursing educ skin. The foHow sent some of of this Confer'1tt1es, the Papal ) lie Relief Service­. cl Health Organi-Peruvian Health speakers, paneh, ·;roups dealt with-\ been determined'ionnaire to be ol;e in attendance.1:1 uded various as·Ith apostolate, nu­-child care, mental,ion and folklore,'n, and TB of the; par,agrophs repre· -:: major affirmations THE HE.t H APOSTOLATE One of the · uteresting aspects ol this subject pr sued at the Confer· ence is the rolA of the health worker in . the light 01 the spirit of change and renewal rrnanating from the Second Vatican Council. The mein· hers who daily deal with suffe�g flesh, blood, ai1d spirit are seeking a clearer definirt.ion of this role as professional and missionary, ever conscious of the divine mandate to iead thei,r patients from the exarooiining table to nhc sacrificial table dthe Lord's redeeming Flesh an Blood. It was agreed that Christian med·ical missioners should atternptht �Ch .. elfbring the Presence of r,ISt Ul . ministraot>ions to patients by o ffen_ng· their help and services as ithe1lll'th Christian ovecarnation of cir · - 1 and concern and with due respec ' "biJiries. for the human dignity, senst . ts and responsibility of their pat:ten · LINACRE QuARTIRLfy, medkal help should without the pressure n of direct proselytation, the patients free to accept the message of Christ. In light, it was noted, free are harmful because they dilute and destroy initiative ibility and foster further . For the same reason, of action should be in accordance with rthe cul­u concerned - cons id era -appropriate changes being native customs, traditions, re. By this means, it was ·ltanding barriers of resist­be overcome.SECULAR AGENCIES discussion of this important Conference took note of ted stress which recent clicals (notably, Mater et ) place on the need for 's interest and involve­a point of view not only charity but also of social improv1ng the institutions foremost of which is t. application of this premise missioners, therefore, con­in the planning stage made to coordinate ef­existing health agencies, g unnecessary dupHca-OVerlapping of services. It that in some areas healrth have already sought and employment with local agencies in the con -this action serves to improve Church-State relations by demonstrating concern for national growth and development, that it strengthens ,already exis,ting facilities in the community, and that it has practical advantage of expediting official approval where necessary, as for example the training of local personnel. EDUCATION The oppo11tunities for service to Peru ·and Bolivia through education are virtualrly limitless. There is · a greart need not on! y for general health education of large percent­ages of the population, but also for the professrional preparation of highly qualif i e d  medical a n d  n urs ing personnel. For example, a recent survey has shown that the majo11ity of native Latin American reUgious engaged in health work in. Peru isinadequately prepared for the posi­tions held. The unfortunate result of this has been that, among lay professfonals, there is a general lack of respect and appreciation for the life and work of religious as a whole. In an effort to remedy this situation, several nursing schools, including one aot the university level, have recently been estabHshed and are operated in Peru by members of the Conference. In addition, there are now severaol schools for the prepara -tion of nursing auxil-iaries who can be used to fulfill many immediate needs created by an acute shortage of fully-trained nurses'. RESEARCH An important aspect of the Con -ference is to engage in research projects within its I.imited resources 199.whi�h will have practical applica­tion to the looal scene. At the last · meeting, the problem of nutritionwas discussed and a program of ac­tion adopted, consisting of a pilotexperiment approved by the Peruvi­an Ministry of Health, under theauspices of Catholic Relief Service­Caritas del Peru, and in cooperationwith two local commercial firms.The project encompasses the dis­tribution of nood1es and cookiesenriched with fish protein concen -trate to pre-school children in 20different places in Peru. This willafford the opportunity not only toprovide much-needed feeding tomany children at the critical ageof weaning, but also to control andvary the effects of these foods, tostimulate their public acceptance,and thus develop a demand forthem. · Such a market, it is hoped,will in tum generate interest on thepart of government and commercialand industrial agencies to mass pro­duce them. The aim of the projectis to meet one of the basic needs200 in these und · namely, a ch using ,an a bt: material. Pe fishing and than 2% c consumption. By way some of the ference in operation. ', ing will be October, 19,· Papal Nurn ..Carboni in r for last ye hoped that similar purr� of the Conir 'veloped countries, source of protein nt cheap local raw i eads the world in currently uses les.1 '.s fish for human .:-n cl usion, these are ..i vities of the C.On· .1rst offioial year ol next annual meet· d in Lima, Peru in As expressed by the Archbishop Romulo letter of approbation : convocation, it � lime other groups of , will become a part ,ice. For furth•.: information, write to: Brother Fran, .;,'o Tanega, FMSI, M.D. J , .. s de Maria A,.: ,;<la Grau 355 Mir:.f!cres, Lima, Peru Q rERLrLINACRE UAR /,u,,m '7 atfA.ta,e, o/ (3/euea is the first letter from , it may not be out of give s0:me background dat·a an, a province of China, results accruing from ef­g made under a free Gov­in the fields of agricuhural, , and rel<igious develop­. torically, T,aiwan belongs except for 38 years under (1624-62) and SO years the Japanese (1895-1945). where the seat of Free vernment is located, is · -five provi nces of ChinaTogether with 77 outlying 'flith a total area of 35,000 Taiwan Proper (377 kms. kms. wide) is siitua,ted be-1190 and 122° E. Lat. and llld 25 °38' N. Long., about · al miles east of Chinaand 479 n.m. from Hong­"33 n.m. from Nagasaki, and 774 n.m. from Manila, e Islands. Topographically, range of mountains, run­whole length of the island to south, divides it into sections, mountainous areas east occupy,i,ng 70% of the ving 30% (1 million hec­plains to the west, suitable ation. !lltion (1 964) numbered (including 200,000 abo­of Protomalayan origin) of whom 52 % were males, 54 % under 20 and 2.5% over 64 years of age, with a crude birth rate of 36.27 per I 000 and death rate of 6.13, the n'atural increase being about 3_% per annum. The population has more than doubled since 1947 (6.5 million) and has a density of 330 per sq. km. Uteracy raite is high-96.7% of school-age (6-12 years old) children were in school (1963) . Ma -jor causes of death (1962) per 100,-000 were: Pneumonia: 59; Vascular lesions of CNS: 59; Gastro-entero­colitls: 49; Neoplasms: 42; accident: 35; Tuberculosis - respiratory: 34; Heart diseases: 28; early infancy diseases and immaturity: 30; sui­cides and selif-inflicted injuries: 18. Notable decrease is seeh in deaths from Gastro-entero-coHtis which constituted 14% of all deaths in 1952 was reduced to 8% in 1962, Tuberculosis, from 8% to 6% (285.2 in 1947 to 39.2 in 1962) due to improved sanitation and 15 ye�rs of BCG vaccination for negative Tuberculin tested reactors, case find­ings and free mass treatment domi­cillary or hospital. On the other hand, deaths have increased signifi­cantly from CNS vascular les•ions from 5 to 10%; and malignant neo­plasms from 3 to 7% of deaths from all causes within the same decade. Heart diseases, excluding chronic rheumatism and arteriosclerosis and_ 201 

The Conference of Health Service Personnel for Peru and Bolivia

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4143&amp;context=lnq

The Conference of Health Service Personnel for Peru and Bolivia

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

epublications@Marquette