The Situation before A Mother’s Wish
There are no records and little information regarding healthcare prior to our arrival. We know that the nearest Government Clinics were sporadically available so the closest available center was in Santiago. The national average for infant mortality in the D.R. is 32 deaths per 10,000 live births. Generally, this average is higher in the rural areas. Based on the vaccinations that we provided, there was little coverage of basic vaccinations.
From May 2004 Until August 2011, A Mother’s Wish provided:
- Vaccinations: We administered approximately 1,200 vaccines per year.
- Healthcare: We provided over 5,000 medical consultations per year and distributed over US$15,000 each year in free medications. There have been 260 children born in the area who are patients of ours since we opened operations in May, 2004. During that time, no child has died in the first year of life. A paper was completed that compares regional and provincial statistics to the Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality rates for children born in the area served by A Mother’s Wish Foundation (Benito Martinez, DR). Click here to open or download the pdf: Infant & Maternal Mortality Analysis
- Dental Care: The clinic moved from twice yearly dental clinics in 2005 & 2006 to weekly dental care from August 2007 until January 2008.
A Mother’s Wish now provides
- Child Development Monitoring: Beginning at pregnancy, our nurses visit our pregnant women, providing them with orientation, pre-natal vitamins and referrals. After birth, we visit each child 17 times during the first 5 years of life to monitor health and development using Bright Futures as our guide (www.brightfutures.org).
- Vaccinations: We monitor the vaccines required by all of our patients under 5 years old to insure compliance. We have 99% coverage for vaccines to our patients.
- Family Planning: We provide free oral contraceptive pills, mini-pills, Depo-Provera and condoms to women from 14 surrounding villages.
- Well Baby Check-ups: A complete physical check-up with vitamins and OTC medicines as required.
- Pap Smear: We take Pap samples on a one-by-one basis for those women who request it. Results are available in 2 weeks free of charge.
The Cost
These services account for the bulk of our yearly expenses, approximately US$2,400 per month.