Working Papers

ReadyMade Analysis of Hospital de la Familia’s Cataract Surgery Program in Guatemala

Goal: Improve the health and daily life for people in Guatemala who do not normally
have access to health care.

Hospital de la Familia (HDLF) provides medical care to rural residents of Guatemala, who otherwise might receive little or no medical care. Medical teams from the U.S. go to Nuevo Progreso, Guatemala to provide medical and surgical care three or four times each year for eight to ten days each trip. Medical groups include specialties in Optometry, Plastic Surgery, Ob-Gyn, General Surgery, Pediatrics, Ear-Nose-Throat, and Nutrition. When medical teams are not at the hospital, it is maintained by Nuns and Guatemalan residents, who have limited training. HDLF also runs some educational programs, including a school for girls and boys for grades 1 through 6, a sewing school, and a nursing school.