Jacaltenango

Jacaltenango is a city of about 40,000 people to the west of Huehuetenango. It is about a three hour drive along a road that passes less than a mile from the border with Mexico. Six years ago when we made our first trip, we met Dorian Rojas, a physician who has worked in Jacaltenango for the last 8 years at the CAP (clinic/hospital with 6 obstetrical beds for vaginal deliveries). He has managed to continue working at the CAP despite a period of 5 months without pay, and his boss being fired for arrogance and abuse of power. Today he is the medical director and has four physicians working with him. They were given an ultrasound machine eight months ago without any instruction. Today's mission was to work with Dorian and his partners on basic obstetrical ultrasound skills.

Suzy, Kristen, Dorian, Brenda, Carly, Jemie, Chris

We managed to leave Huehue a little after 6am and travel to Jacaltenango. Chris & Brenda focused primarily on working with the CAP physicians while Suzy & Kristen did some training with a group of comadronas (lay midwives). Jemie and Carly visited a couple of laboring women and did more ultrasounds as well. The day was partially hampered by lack of electricity, although fortunately the ultrasound machine loaned to us by Sonosite can operate on batteries as well. Jazmin, is a nurse who is working with PCI and joined us for the trip as well.

Yasmin, Carly, and Jemie demonstrating Ultrasound poses

A word on Guatemalan place names. When the Spaniards invaded Guatemala from Mexico in the 1520's they brought with them a lot of mercenary Nahuatl (Aztec) speaking soldiers and assigned place names in the form of [Nahuatl descriptive word]+[Nahuatl suffix]. Thus the Mayan city of Xinabahul became Huehuetenango (place of the ancients). Jacaltenango translates roughly as place of huts.