Peru Is a Natural Choice for DGHI Partnership

Munichis_Loreto

Taken in Munichis, Loreto, this photo shows the health center of Munichis. Photo credit: Christopher Plunkett (Eyevolution).

Published December 13, 2016, last updated on December 14, 2016 under Research News

Lima, Peru was added as DGHI’s twelfth Priority Partnership Location in 2016 and our work there continues to flourish. 

Peru was a clear choice for special DGHI focus because of its unique health challenges and the fact that it is a country in transition. The World Bank recently upgraded Peru to an upper middle income country. Despite this new status, significant health disparities persist between urban and rural areas.

In addition to the challenges of dealing with infectious diseases like malaria, countries like Peru also face an increasing burden of chronic diseases and do not have the capacity to effectively address both.

Peru is home to the world’s largest rainforest—the Amazon—and its biodiversity makes it a unique place to study the health effects of climate change. The natural environment around the region of Madre de Dios, where a significant amount of DGHI research is taking place, is under threat from development and gold mining, and the health of the people there is already being affected as a result.

Peru was a clear choice for special DGHI focus because of its unique health challenges and the fact that it is a country in transition.