Shipments of medical supplies will continue making a life-saving impact in rural Guatemala thanks to ongoing partnerships with Providence St. Joseph Health, Becton Dickinson and Company, Medline industries and many others.

Medical Teams ships critical equipment to hospitals in the Chicamán municipality of Guatemala. Without these donations from corporate partners, access to these life-saving supplies are nearly impossible to acquire for those at the Uspantán Hospital and the surrounding area.

Administrators at the hospital pointed to the life-saving value of the shipments during a recent tour of the facility.

Porfirio Aguilar, nurse department director for the hospital, said “every donation we receive is sent to us through Medical Teams.”

Porfirio Aguilar, nurse director at Uspantán Hospital.

The list includes vital items like needles, gurneys, IV systems, and syringes.

Prior to the delivery of supplies, many people from rural communities wouldn’t make the long journey to the hospital until their situation was dire, sometimes on the verge of death, Aguilar said. Many people had to buy their own equipment and supplies and bring them to the facility.

At the hospital, doctors are teaching families about the early warning signs of serious health conditions.

“Our doctors and nurses have seen a dramatic shift as many patients now walk through the doors in a much more treatable state because they are recognizing symptoms that could be life-threatening in time,” Aguilar said.

Providing access to better hospital supplies, medical volunteers and health education is giving the remote Guatemalan community of Chicamán life-saving care.

Founded in 1979, Medical Teams International provides life-saving medical care for people in crisis, such as survivors of natural disasters and refugees. We care for the whole person—physical, emotional, social and spiritual. Daring to love like Jesus, we serve all people—regardless of religion, nationality, sex or race. Because every person—no matter where they are or how desperate their situation—matters.