Medical Clinic

The Quito Project medical clinic is expanding in 2008 to begin providing primary care services as well as urgent care in the San Martin community.  The clinic, located in an underserved community in the southern outskirts of Quito, is staffed in the summer, winter, and spring by faculty and students at the University of Michigan and Wayne State medical schools.  All consultations, prescription and non-prescription medications are provided free of charge.

The chief objectives of the medical clinic are to provide affordable, convenient, high-quality multidisciplinary health services to the San Martin and surrounding communities, as well as improve health status in San Martin.  Although some of our patients have access to low-cost or free government clinics in the city, the large amount of time spent commuting and waiting to see a physician often make the opportunity cost of such clinic visits much to bear.  The Quito Project medical clinic provides high-quality care in the community with shorter waiting periods, is linked to other services patients may need or want (social work, public health, academic support, etc), and because we serve a relatively small patient base, we have been able to establish trust and rapport with our patient community.  Our clinic format encourages patients to come see the doctor not only when sick, but also for regular health maintenance exams and preventative medicine and nutrition counseling. 

To facilitate the transition to providing primary care services, The Quito Project has invested in an electronic medical record system (EMR) to help us provide longitudinal care to our patients, as well as collect epidemiological data about our patient community, to help us serve them better. The Quito Project follows standards of care and clinical guidelines used at The University of Michigan Hospitals.  Medical decision-making is evidence-based, as outlined in our primary care plan (coming soon and available for download in the 'Documents' section!)

The Quito Project is contracted with a local laboratory for medical testing. Patients needing laboratory diagnostic work-up are seen by a local nurse in our clinic, and results are available the next business day.  The Quito Project continues to establish ties with private and academic physican-specialists in Quito for referral of our patients needing more advanced care.

For more information about the Quito Project medical clinic, if you are a physician interested in volunteering in 2008, or if you would like to donate medicines or other supplies, please contact our 2008 clinic director, Sean Kelly: seangkelly[at]gmail.com