At a donation of medical equipment held at the Women’s Clinic at the Regional Hospital of Escuintla in Guatemala, Elder Patricio M. Giuffra, General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Central America Area, noted the significance of the occasion.
“More than medical technology, this donation represents hope for thousands of women and families in Escuintla. It means women will be able to access timely diagnoses and, if necessary, begin treatment earlier and with greater chances of recovery,” Elder Giuffra said.
The equipment includes a digital mammography system and improvements for the women’s clinic, as well as medical equipment and furniture for 40 health posts in Guatemala.
The project is expected to expand the early detection of child malnutrition and provide about 600 mammograms each month, benefiting more than 7,200 women annually. It will also strengthen healthcare services for approximately 800,000 people, reported the Church’s Spanish-language Newsroom.
Below see more examples of recent efforts by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to support healthcare around the world.
Support in Puerto Rico and Peru
In Puerto Rico, the Church, working with Acción Social de Puerto Rico, donated 300 solar-powered portable medical refrigerators to 15 municipalities in the southern part of the Caribbean island on Aug. 17.
The donation will benefit those with chronic diseases whose medication requires constant refrigeration.
Edgardo Cartagena, manager of the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services in Puerto Rico, spoke about the value of working with organizations that understand the needs of their communities and make it possible for aid to reach those who need it most.
The Church hosted a free dental clinic for children, youth and adults in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 8. Participants received dental cleanings, fluoride treatments and dental evaluations, as well as information on oral health prevention and care.
Volunteers from the Solidarity Dental Society and students from Cayetano Heredia University came to one of the Church’s meetinghouses for the event to use their knowledge and skills to serve the community.
Donations in Brazil
The Church’s Autossuficiencia Brazil website reported in August on several medical donations and healthcare efforts around Brazil.
An initiative in Northeast Brazil from Américas Amigas, with the support of the Church, seeks to detect and diagnose breast cancer earlier in women. A mobile health unit travels to different regions providing examinations and specialized care. Church chapels are used as support points to receive the teams and the community.
Continuing to provide help against breast cancer, the Church donated a digital mammography machine at the Specialized Center for Comprehensive Women’s Health in the city of Hortolândia, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The equipment will improve access to breast cancer screening and diagnosis in the city and is expected to benefit approximately 1,440 people per year.
The Church also donated equipment to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maria José dos Santos Stein Women’s Hospital in Santo André, São Paulo. The donation was celebrated in a ceremony that brought together representatives of the hospital, Church leaders and healthcare professionals.
Medical equipment in the Philippines
The Church officially handed over life-sustaining medical equipment to San Pablo City General Hospital in San Pablo City, Laguna, on Sept. 2 to help address pressing medical needs and support local healthcare infrastructure.
“We believe in extending this donation because service comes straight from the heart,” said San Pablo Philippines Stake President Ronnel R. Catungos.
Hospital leaders said the new equipment came at a pivotal moment for them as demand increases and they work toward licensing and opening its first dedicated Intensive Care Unit.
In Cagayan de Oro in August, the Church donated an endoscopy machine tower to J.R. Borja General Hospital. “It is really a blessing to have this equipment or machine that can truly help the patients in need,” said Dr. Michael June Perez, the acting chief of the hospital.
The Church donated medical and diagnostic equipment to the provincial government of Aklan on Aug. 19.
The donation included mobile X-ray units, weighing scales, canes and digital blood pressure monitors. The equipment will be distributed to district health systems to reduce crowding at the hospital and strengthen local healthcare services.
“We help people because we love Jesus Christ,” said Kalibo Philippines Stake President Elvin Villanueva. “We want to follow His example, and we want to help everyone who is in need of help.”
