Community work is part of the Cuban public health system
San Antonio de los Baños, Artemisa, Cuba. - The specialists of the Polyclinic José Hipólito Pazos, of the Ariguanabo, direct actions for the attention to patients through community work, according to the Defectologist of the institution, Dalgis González Jiménez.
The multidisciplinary team is composed of a social worker, a psychologist, a defectologist and a speech therapist, who attend the East Rural Council, East Urban and part of the Center Council, together with specialists from the Provincial Auditory Center and Special School 17 of April.
González Jiménez stressed that the main function of the institution is the attention to the disabilities suffered by patients. According to the statistical registry there are 301 patients with intellectual disabilities, 237 with physical-motor disabilities, 87 with mental retardation and 48 and 115 patients with visual and hearing disabilities respectively.
A main element of our work is visiting patients for family counseling, as well as consultations for psychopedagogical treatment. Another vital aspect is the preventive program, with the objective of following up patients to achieve an adequate quality of life.