Causes: Community Health Systems, Community Improvement & Capacity Building, Health, Health Support, Surgical Specialties

Mission: Our mission is to provide impoverished rural Guatemalans with sustainable access to medical and surgical care. Guatemala the most underserved country in Latin America for health and surgical care. The typical rural Guatemalan has no experience with major medical care, has never left their cultural/language area, and frequently has no access to transportation. Furthermore, the expenses associated with surgery far exceed their ability to pay. It is our experience that almost all rural Guatemalans need assistance in order to take advantage of international volunteer surgical teams. Partner for Surgery works to overcome discrimination that prohibits access to surgery; to educate and empower rural Guatemalans to initiate and advocate for vital health care services on their own behalf; to empower rural Guatemalans with good health, in order to promote equitable economic growth and emergence from a life of bare subsistence; to achieve maximum leverage through collaboration with Guatemalan and international NGOs.

Programs: Our programs include community outreach, youth empowerment through rural radio programs, screening and treatment for cervical dysplasia conditions, medical triage missions in rural communities, health education, and access to surgical care. To those ends, we organize triage missions and recruit surgical teams from North America. During each week-long triage event, volunteers evaluate approximately 600 individuals, and identify approximately 150 surgical candidates, who are then scheduled for future surgical missions. Individuals who do not require surgery receive medical attention, if appropriate. Once a surgical candidate is identified, we connect them with a surgical team over the next 1 to 4 months. We arrange transportation; escort patients to and from the hospital site; provide personal attention, translation assistance and financial support; and serve as patient advocates. We also provide housing and food for the patient and an accompanying family member. Each patient is required to pay a portion of the costs, according to their resources. Regardless of how small the amount, this approach engenders dignity, empowerment and responsibility. We also provide surgical teams with all the in-country support they need including a fully equipped surgical center with 24/7 medical support staff. PfS holds a deep conviction that knowledge is the key to making informed decisions about one's health. In that spirit, we devote significant resources to providing education to reduce the causes that give rise to the disproportionate need for surgery.