In response to a steep rise in COVID-19 infections in April, which put a severe strain on the Peruvian health system, we sent a team to support the regional hospital in Huacho. We treated patients with oxygen therapy in the intensive care unit and provided follow-up care in homes. 

In May, we started training health workers to treat COVID-19 patients in Cusco. We introduced non-invasive oxygen therapy, an alternative to intubation that allows patients to remain conscious. We also helped healthcare facilities in Huacho and Cusco to set up triage areas, and organised mental health consultations for patients and their families, both face-to-face and by phone. 

After COVID-19 cases declined, we handed over our patient care activities to Ministry of Health staff and focused on administering COVID-19 vaccines in the cities of Cusco, Arequipa and Tumbes.

Assistance for Venezuelan migrants
Nearly 1.3 million migrants from Venezuela now live in Peru and have limited access to medical care. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the borders were officially closed in 2021, leaving migrants without a way to register for healthcare and other government services. 

In November, we started to run a mobile clinic in the northern border region of Tumbes, providing medical consultations for migrants who had recently arrived. In December, we started a mobile clinic in four areas of the capital, Lima, offering basic healthcare to migrants and local people.