Trujillo, Peru

      Peru, a country with population over 23 million, is bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. It’s roughly the size of Alaska. The country has a regular flow of tourists in certain areas secondary to a rich and interesting history combined with a number of archaeological sites of interests, such as Machu Picchu and a number of pyramid structures. The climate and culture can vary widely by location. The official languages are Spanish and Quechua.

      Trujillo is the 4th largest city in the country, with just over 800,000 inhabitants. It’s about 6 hours north of Lima, on the coast in the La Libertad region. I won’t give a lot of details about exactly where I’m working except to say that I’ll be working with a mission organization in a notoriously poor area of the city.

      The healthcare needs of this country are vast, and are more pronounced in the rural areas; 90% of people living in rural areas do not have potable drinking water, and tropical/infectious diseases are more common due to location. Peru has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in all of Latin America, and its’ infant morality rate is also high. Cervical cancer has been reported to be a large problem due to lack of access to screening tools. There’s a large gap between the wealthy and the “next” class - severe poverty and malnutrition are also big problems in most areas. The life expectancies are in the 60’s. In general, disability does not appear to be socially accepted and many people may be neglected and marginalized in this culture.

      During my year of service, I’ll split my time working in three different areas: outpatient and inpatient care at a hospital, pediatrics at a school for individuals with developmental disabilities, and on the creation and implementation of a public health program with recently acquired government funding. I feel pretty under-qualified for some aspects of this job, but nonetheless am very excited and know I will learn so much from it.

      Currently, there are no trained physical therapists at the medical facility or school. Peru does have a number of physical therapy schools, but from what I’ve gathered, the curriculum is much less thorough than what you may find in the U.S., and the focus appears to be more on electrochemical modalities. In fact, as I was inquiring about what types of equipment I could bring down with me, Ultrasound, Diathermy, Infra-red (etc.) were at the top of the list. I anticipate it will be challenging to move the current standards of care toward a more hands-on functional approach. Fortunately, I will have one year’s time to build a relationship with the community.

      I’m getting pretty nervous about my Spanish-speaking abilities as it’s apparent that no-one in Trujillo knows any English! Hopefully I’ll become fluent very quickly (well, won’t have a choice)! So, I’m getting really excited to head down there. I have a few ideas for possible holiday excursions, as I’d like to see some of the sights if I get time off. However, on a modest stipend I also will embrace the idea of “living simply” and trying to blend in like a local.