The Ministry of Health reported on Apr. 8 that its intercultural health brigades have provided more than 54,000 medical services to residents in remote communities in the Loreto region. The announcement follows the second deployment of these teams, which reached a total of 6,133 people from indigenous and hard-to-reach populations.
According to the ministry, each individual received between five and six different types of care during these interventions. The main health issues addressed included malnutrition, respiratory infections, dengue fever, malaria, and leishmaniasis.
Six intercultural health brigades carried out the operations in coordination with the Regional Health Management (Geresa) Loreto. Each brigade consists of seven healthcare professionals from various disciplines who travel along the Corrientes, Tigre, Marañón, Chambira, and Pastaza river basins to provide comprehensive medical attention.
In addition to general healthcare services, vaccination campaigns were conducted for children against preventable diseases such as influenza, whooping cough (pertussis), measles, and human papillomavirus (HPV) to help prevent cervical cancer. Screenings for HIV and syphilis were also performed alongside malaria diagnosis using thick blood smear tests as part of Peru’s National Malaria Control Plan. Family planning counseling and sexual and reproductive health education were included to ensure timely identification and treatment.
The ministry said that brigades operating within the Nauta Health Network—covering Maypuco, Trompeteros, Nauta and Intuto—have served a total of 50 communities so far. Additional teams working in Andoas and Pastaza within the San Lorenzo Health Network have visited another 14 communities along the Marañón River basin.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy aimed at strengthening primary healthcare with an intercultural approach for Amazonian indigenous populations. Between February and March this year alone, coordinated work between Minsa and Geresa Loreto resulted in medical attention for over 12 thousand people across more than 115 thousand consultations or procedures. According to officials from Minsa’s Indigenous Peoples Directorate cited in their statement released Apr. 8., further interventions are planned throughout April.
