The objective is to reach the health centres soon with the collaboration which the Foundation offers in the areas of preeclampsia and adolescence. 

The Coordinators of the Preeclampsia Challenge and Adolescence, along with their medical advisors travelled to the region of Alto Paraná during the month of February to conduct technical visits to the hospitals and family health care units where the Foundation expects to extend its collaboration. Meetings were established with reference staff from the health centres and regional authorities. The presentation of the Preeclampsia Challenge and the adolescence program took place. Regarding the Preeclampsia Challenge, relevant epidemiological data of the region was collected. According to 2019 data, there were 8.000 births in the Ministry Public Health Care in the Alto Paraná region, of which 200 pregnancies suffered from preeclampsia and 60 suffered eclampsia. The prevalence of preeclampsia in the region is, approximately 2,5%, which reflects a high degree of underreporting according to regional authorities. 

Despite the fact that Alto Paraná is fast-growing and the X Region counts on the cooperation of Itaipú and the Inter-American Development Bank to improve health centres in the region, there are still many lives lost for preventative causes, as are the cases of preeclampsia. For this reason, the foundations collaboration on health professional’s capacity building will make a great impact in the joint effort of substantially reducing maternal and perinatal complications and deaths due to preeclampsia. 

According to the agreement reached between the foundations technical team and the regional health authorities, it is expected to reach 250 doctors and 600 midwives and nurses through prevention and early detection of PE training.  

Regarding the adolescence program, likewise visits to hospitals took place: to the Regional Hospital of Ciudad del Este, the Regional Hospital of Presidente Franco, the Regional Hospital of Minga Guazú, and also Family Units Km 7 Monday, Ciudad Nueva, and the X Sanitary Region.

Currently there are only two adolescent units and the demand is high. The foundations collaboration will focus firstly on training health professionals on appropriate care for adolescents. Secondly, it will focus on long term family planning methods and counselling for adolescents at risk of unintended pregnancies. During this year, the projection is to reach 400 professionals from different hospitals and health care units in the region. According to the Ministry of Health guidelines, once the sanitary emergency we are in is overcome and the quarantine is lifted, all Foundations activities will be resumed in order to fulfil its 2020 objectives.