Promoting Patient-Centered Health Care and Health Equity through Health Professionals' Education in Rural Chiapas

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Social Medicine
• Medical Education

Background:

• Compañeros En Salud (Partners In Health in Mexico) collaborates with the Mexican Ministry of Health.
• Addresses understaffed and abandoned clinics in Chiapas, Mexico.
• Focuses on improving healthcare in historically underserved regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the motivations, holistic approach, and impact of a decade-long medical student training program.
• To strengthen healthcare systems in Chiapas, Mexico.
• To provide high-quality care through a health as a human right framework.

Main Methods:

• Enticing top Mexican medical students for their social service year.
• Providing financial support, clinical mentoring, supplies, and training.
• Implementing a structural competency framework in global health and social medicine.

Main Results:

• The program uniquely combines theoretical lectures, case discussions, simulations, and patient exposure.
• The model addresses structural injustices impacting patient health.
• A decade of implementation demonstrates the initiative's impact.

Conclusions:

• The Compañeros En Salud model offers a unique, holistic approach to global health education.
• It effectively trains medical professionals to serve underserved populations.
• The program promotes health equity by addressing social determinants of health.