Partnership Between Universities and the Local Healthcare System to Benefit the Town of Buriticupu, a Poor Community in the State of Maranhão, Brazil

Abstract

Paulo (FMUSP) in partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the local healthcare system and the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), took the Bandeira Científica project to the town of Buriticupu, located in the state of Maranhão, Brazil (Fig. 1). The Bandeira Científica project consists of an annual expedition, each year to different part of Brazil, directed by FMUSP faculty members and executed by FMUSP medical students. Objectives are to train medical students in primary healthcare to deprived communities and to offer such primary healthcare as well as educational lectures. The Bandeira also performs epidemiological studies. On this occasion, Buriticupu, in the backlands of the state of Maranhão was selected as the target town. Buriticupu has a population of 50,059 inhabitants, but lacks basic sanitation and education, the latter provided mainly by an insufficient set of public schools. Illiteracy is predominant in adults over the age of twenty. The last Demographic Census, collected in the year of 2000 indicated illiteracy rates of 63,8% among children over the age of 10. UFMA provides basic

Endemic hepatitis b and c virus infection in a brazilian eastern amazon region

“…A partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Government of Maranhão, and the local public health system, as well as the support of the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), made the "Bandeira Científica" (Scientific Flag) Project possible in the city of Buriticupu, in the state of Maranhão, Brazil (15) . Buriticupu is located 450 km from the state capital, São Luis.…”