Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley Disaster Relief

$1 million of the $10 million in aid that has arrived in Peru is earmarked for the regions impacted by the various natural disasters that have hit Peru over the past decade. In late September volunteer medical professionals for Puente de VIDA visited Pisco Peru at the Campaña de salud en Centro Poblado El Palto, Pisco providing medical care to 288 impoverished patients.  The medical professionals were accompanied by the VIDA Peru staff that brought tens of thousands of dollars of medical aid by truck.  Puente de VIDA is a mobile healthcare program that makes 24 visits a year to some of Peru’s most remote and underserved communities in the Andes, Amazon and coastal regions to deliver primary care and educational programs.  In addition to the volunteer medical professional, the inaugural class of VIDA Peru’s Medical Student Health Care Initiative managed by San Francisco based physician Michael Halperin visited the site.  The project links medical school students here in the United States and abroad to the Peruvian healthcare system through a two week visit to hospitals and clinics throughout Peru.  The inaugural trip included medical students from Saba University Medical School in the Dutch Caribbean.  The students spent 10 days visiting VIDA program sites and working with health care professionals and documenting the healthcare system in Peru. 

In spite of the tremendous strides Peru has experienced in lifting many people out of poverty, access to quality and affordable healthcare remains a significant challenge, particularly in these remote areas.  As a result, for many of the residents,Puente de VIDA is the only access to healthcare and education.