UNICEF: Mobile health workers deliver services in Brazil

FORTIM, Brazil, 1 October 2007 -- Municipal health agent Maria Dos Santos travels on foot, visiting as many as 20 homes a day and treating everything from diabetes to heart disease, as well as offering a host of services to pregnant women and new mothers.

Two years ago, only 30 per cent of pregnant women in this area received prenatal examinations. With the help of mobile heath agents, that number has now jumped to 70 per cent. A nearby health centre, whose staff includes doctors, nurses and dentists, provides support to the mobile agents.

The push for mobile health workers was part of a 2005 UNICEF initiative that rewards communities who meet tough standards for improving the lives of children. Titled the UNICEF Municipal Seal of Approval, the initiative has won the support of more than 1,000 cities and towns in Brazil's Semi-Arid region, a vast area that has the country's lowest social indicators and is home to more than 33 million people.

To read the full story, visit: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/brazil_41042.html

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News & Politics

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• UNICEF
• Brazil
• health
• Fortim