Six thousand families from native communities improve healthy behavior

With the joint effort of the health networks of Amazonas and Loreto, PETROPERÚ successfully completed the social management program "Health Promotion", through which more than six thousand families improved their healthy behavior by receiving counseling through text messages and audios, for the care of pregnant women, the health care of newborns and prevention of COVID-19. The program benefited households from indigenous communities in the districts of Nieva and Imaza in Amazonas and Urarinas in Loreto.

Considering the State of Health Emergency, the development of the project was presented as a great challenge due to the existing health restrictions and the limitations that the context imposes on health personnel. For this reason, the project was designed to achieve greater reach through text and audio messages, which were broadcast to the families' cell phones; while in communities where they do not have connectivity, it was done through radio stations, local radios, peripherals and community speakers.

To overcome the language gaps, these messages were written in Spanish and the Awajún language, which is predominant in these areas.

The scope of the program, which seeks to improve maternal and child health, reached more than six thousand families, who received more than a million messages with practical advice for the healthy development of pregnancy and the health care of children under the age of 12 months old.

Likewise, due to the difficult context caused by the pandemic, specific messages for the prevention of COVID-19 were developed, in order to permanently remind families and vulnerable populations of the care they should take into account to avoid contagion of said disease. disease.

The execution of the program involved the establishment of agreements with the regional directorates and health networks of Amazonas and Loreto, so that they identify pregnant women and mothers with children under 12 months of age through their posts and health establishments. In this way, a record was created on a platform from which the automated sending of text and/or voice messages was generated, depending on the gestational age or the stage of development of the child during the first year of life.

In addition, the participation of the three health networks involved was committed, training their staff, which numbers around 100 people, including nurses, obstetricians and health technicians. These personnel will ensure the sustainability of the project, since as users of the computer platform they can continue to register more pregnant women and mothers.

This effort by PETROPERÚ in alliance with the health networks in Amazonas and Loreto, shows that in a healthcare context as difficult as the one we live in, priority care is possible for indigenous communities, respecting their cultural identities and promoting maternal health and health. early childhood development in their homes.