CCSS Provides Solar
Powered Refrigerators To
Indigenous Communities
The Caja Costarricense
del Seguro Social (CCSS)
announced Tuesday that
it will be providing
solar powered
refrigerators to various
indigenous communities,
the main purpose to
store vaccines for a
number of illnesses.
The president of the
CCSS, Eduardo Dorián,
said the Caja has
invested some us$112.000
dollars for the
equipment that will be
installed mainly in
remote areas where there
is no electricity or
telephones, some
communities a few days
walk from any medical
attention.
The first shipment of
refrigerators were
delivered to the
communities by
helicopter on Tuesday.
Dorián added that in
addition to storing the
medication, the
refrigerators will also
reduce the cost of
transferring patients
and getting medications
to patients quicker.
The CCSS decision came
months after the United
Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) asked Costa
Rican authorities to
give more attention to
indigenous children.
In Costa Rica there are
about 70.000 indigenous
spread over 24
territories, of which
almost 50% are under the
age of 17. 90% of the
indigenous live in
poverty, in extreme
contrast to the 20% of
the poor in the country.
In addition, only 30% of
the indigenous have
electricity in contrast
to the 98% national
average. Also, the
infant mortality rate is
higher, 13 per 100.000
inhabitants, compared to
9.2 average rate for the
country. And in areas
like the Talamanca, the
southeast parts of the
country that borders
with Panama, the infant
mortality rate is 18.4.
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