From the allocation of more than six million 250 thousand pesos for repair and maintenance in family doctor's offices (CMF), the province of Ciego de Ávila foresees improvements in 61 of these primary health care institutions (PHC), during the current year, to offer a higher quality service to the population.

As reported by the Provincial Health Directorate (DPS), those identified in fair or poor construction status at the end of the construction year are a priority, although the 219 in these conditions exceed the possibilities, according to financial availability and resources.

At the end of the first quarter of 2022, the improvement of infrastructure and working conditions was achieved in a dozen of these institutions of the APS system, reported the DPS.

The CMF renovation plan includes the ten municipalities of the province and will also allow to correct difficulties with the supply of drinking water and incorporate the landline telephone service where conditions allow it and was conceived in the investment plan, highlighted the DPS during the Provincial Government Council.

To the constructive changes, actions will be added to increase the quality of PHC services, including the efficient use of natural and traditional medicine, limited to techniques such as herbal medicine, apitherapy and homeopathy, and with the possibility of incorporating acupuncture, acupressure and moxibustion.

Human and material capacities will be formed so that in each Basic Work Group (GBT) there are three clinics with conditions to provide these services, which will have a positive impact on improving the quality of life and patient satisfaction.

Faced with the financial and resource limitations imposed by the multidimensional crisis and the intensification of the US blockade against Cuba, the Electromedicine teams seek solutions for equipment that is paralyzed or operating with limitations, the DPS highlighted.

He stressed that the innovations allow to minimize the effects on essential services (Minor Surgery, Endoscopy, Optometry, Clinical Laboratory and Imaging, fundamentally).

Another priority is the creation of conditions in houses attached to the CMF to bring doctors and nurses closer to their work areas and ensure permanence, fundamentally in rural communities and away from other medical institutions.

The health authorities also implement strategies to achieve the completion of the GBT, urged mainly by specialists in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, for which training in these branches is prioritized.

Institutional sources referred to the integration of the CMF to the community factors to carry out important tasks, contemplated carrying out a population study that will determine the main health problems in the neighborhoods to manage aid or solutions with collective cooperation.

Nilka Pita Alemán, provincial director of Health, highlighted the role of family medicine in the prevention of risk factors and promotion of healthy lifestyles, and the contribution of PHC professionals to the control of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He highlighted the work of the families' doctors and nurses in active investigations, the treatment of suspected and positive patients for this disease, and the national immunization campaign to combat it.

Thirty-eight years after its foundation, at the initiative of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the Family Doctor and Nurse Program has 434 CMFs in the province of Ciego de Ávila, with 100 percent coverage of specialized personnel to carry out promotion, prevention, diagnosis and timely treatment actions.

For the benefit of the population, there are also 19 polyclinics, including two with hospitalization services for a total of 29 patients; and 32 GBT remain active.