Aztlán, Tabasco – A mobile health caravan delivered crucial medical services, including a first-time mastography screening, to the remote riverside community of aztlán fifth section in the centro municipality this week. Reaching the community, located 33 kilometers from Villahermosa, required a 40-minute boat trip along the grijalva River, demonstrating the Ministry of HealthS commitment to reaching Tabasco’s most isolated populations.
the caravan provided free consultations and medications to residents of Palomillal. Nurses verified vaccination records and administered measles, whooping cough, and tetanus vaccines to children. Additionally, anti-rabies vaccinations were offered for pets, supporting a state-wide campaign aiming to maintain tabasco’s 36-year record of zero human rabies cases.
“We are very grateful to the Ministry of Health because on Wednesday they sent us the HEALTH CARAVAN to our town, which despite being very removed, doctors and nurses came to give us fully free consultations and medications,” stated Leticia Moa Pérez, the community delegate. “Because many of the people who live here do not have the resources to buy the medicines, in addition to that it is very challenging and expensive to go to the nearest health center, since they have to pay more than 300 to 500 pesos to go by boat.”
Notably, the caravan included a portable mastography unit, enabling screenings for over 20 women – the first such service offered in Aztlán fifth section. Free subdermal implants were also provided as part of a family planning initiative for teenagers and young women.
These “aquatic health caravans” are a key strategy employed by the Ministry of Health to deliver healthcare and preventative medicine to Tabasco’s remote riverside communities, accessible only by river.
