Mulegé

Because of the vastness of the territory of Mulegé, and the dispersion of communities throughout it, there is a limitation to the amount of knowledge that the population has about basic sanitation, diet, exercise, and preventative health measures.  The region has an inadequate waste collection system, infected potable water sources, uses obsolete measures for the treatment of waste water, and even has open air feces exposure in rural locales. 

There is a high frequency of respiratory illnesses, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.  Many of the recurring respiratory illnesses and gastrointestinal infections affecting children can become life-threatening if not given the appropriate attention, and Mulegé has the highest mortality rate for children under the age of five in the state. ^[1][2] 

A serious health care issue in Mulegé is mental illness, as the municipality has the highest rate of attempted suicides and second highest rate for suicide deaths in the state.  Failure to address this problem can cause further resource drains on the state, as failed suicide attempts often result in disability.  Another indicator of insufficient mental health care in the state is the high occurrence of domestic violence affecting women and children.  Although a difficult situation to rectify, a study to identify the breadth of cases, as well as the causes that provoke them would help health sector personnel to address the problem in an appropriate manner. 

To improve health care in rural areas, it is necessary to increase the capacity of medical attention to isolated communities, particularly toward vulnerable populations and the provision of quality health services.  Strategies include improved distribution of basic medications, increased visits to rural areas by mobile health units, construction of health stations in clinics, intensive first-aid classes, and substantial vehicles to transfer patients to other areas when needed.

Some nonprofits have focused on providing optical and surgical assistance to localities, such as San Ignacio and Santa Rosalía.  Expansion of these services to other geographic regions, as well as additional medical services would augment inadequate government care in those areas.