Socios En Salud

About Socios En Salud

Socios En Salud is an international non-profit medical organization that has been strengthening the health system since 1996 to provide timely healthcare in Peru. Through its community-based clinical and moral care model, patients are given care and support in their homes and communities. Mission To offer healthcare with a preferential option for the poor. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations located in impoverished environments, Socios En Salud strives to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those who need it most. Summary In 1996, doctors Jim Yong Kim (current President of the World Bank), Paul Farmer (Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University), and Ophelia Dahl (former Executive Director of Partners In Health), founders of Socios En Salud, began treating the first patients in Carabayllo using a costly and lengthy treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis, under a community-based DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) model. The number of patients entering treatment grew as more donated funds became available, and in 1999, the first group of 75 patients completed their treatment with an incredibly high cure rate (83%), the highest in the world. MDR-TB, previously considered a death sentence in developing countries, could be shown to the world as a treatable disease, even in a resource-limited setting. This human project, which began its activities facing a "frontal fight" against tuberculosis, especially against the most difficult-to-treat forms, today not only focuses on curing and helping these individuals but also addresses maternal and child health and mental health. These are three areas that reflect the reality of poverty and health inequity for Peruvians.