Hospital Los Andes

Today I was back in the clinic part of Hospital Los Andes doing wellness checks with a pediatrician there. In addition to the free health care insurance for children 5 years and younger all over Bolivia, children who go to school in El Alto also get free health care insurance. Unfortunately, some kids don't go to school, and then don't get covered. Sometimes the root of the problem is deeper than policy makers think it is? On the clinical side, I saw a few cases of malnutrition and one case of scabies that had been going on for months... His aunt brought him in because he "had lost his appetite, and oh, by the way, he has this itch..." Eek!

The pictures to the left are of the Hospital. On top is the hospital part (where I saw the c-sections yesterday) and on the bottom you can see the entrance to the clinic part (to the left of the yellow sign and behind the fence). Besides being colder, El Alto has a completely different look than central La Paz. Buildings aren't more than two stories and the terrain is flat (since it's at the top of the mountain). Dogs run wild, and when the streets are empty, they feel really empty (not like that city feel, where even when there isn't anybody around, you can sense people nearby). It's definitely lacking the wealth of La Paz, but it's also easier to imagine living in El Alto. At least for me.



And yet another bizarre sign. This is only a few blocks from where I live, but I didn't notice it until last week. I see that they have fixed the underbite... but what about her lips?