Q: How many clinics does RTF have, and are there any new clinics being built?

A: We have completed 3 full service clinics.  Indians donate land in center of village areas and do the work themselves - we ship (via canoe) in all materials for construction that they cannot fashion from jungle Mahogany trees such as cement, rebar and roofing material.  Construction work is done during the rainy season while villagers cannot tend their fields.  The clinic equipment such as O.B. tables, exam table, pediatric scales – everything!  Is shipped from the USA in an ocean freight container.  At Puerto Lempira the cargo is loaded onto our RTF boat and many hired large dug-out canoes and transported through the jungle to the clinic site.  The Ministry of Health then does the staffing.  In some extremely remote villages RTF provides a bonus to help motivate health care professionals to live and work there.

Construction of the next facility will begin in summer 2007 to be completed and operational January '08.  We have to build according to Ministry of Health's budget for personnel.  They cannot staff another clinic until 2008