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Barriers To Care Amongst Rural Indigenous Mayans In Guatemala’S Western Highlands, Nirali Butala

CwiC Posters

Information presented here is based on 5-week volunteering experience at Primeros Pasos clinic in the rural Palajunoj Valley outside the city of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Almost all of the patient population is rural, indigenous Quiche Maya. Guatemala has a relatively high GDP and patient-doctor ratio (1000:1) compared to its neighboring Latin American countries, but these resources are extremely localized to its capital, Guatemala City, where 70% of the country’s physicians work.

Only the wealthy are able to utilize private clinics and hospitals that are known to provide the highest quality care. At these clinics, patients pay out-of-pocket. Indigenous, rural communities typically …