The Ismael Valdés Valdés Comprehensive Care Center (1967 to 1973). A model of comprehensive maternal and child care in times of change

Abstract

The Ismael Valdés Valdés Comprehensive Maternal and Child Care Center operated between 1967 and 1973 and, like many other initiatives of the time, was forced to close due to direct repression or repression against its members during the dictatorship. This pioneering experience represented a model in social and community medicine, progressively built since the early years of the 20th century, and consolidated as a significant contribution to the country's public health, especially for the poorest population and for the training of professionals who practiced there.

Revisiting history, through written records and testimonies from participants, allows us to reconnect with its origins, understand the tradition represented, and explore the relevance and lessons for the present.

The article is organized into three parts. First, it analyzes the historical context of the second half of the last century and the development of Health Units, interpreting the Ismael Valdés Valdés Center as part of that evolution. It then describes the main characteristics and achievements, highlighting the comprehensive care model, community participation, teaching, research, multidisciplinary and intersectoral work, and, as a central achievement, the reduction of child malnutrition. Finally, the third part presents the conclusions, highlighting that the Center was the result of the convergence of the tradition of Health Units, the situation generated by the development of the National Health Service, and the drive of the team that carried out the experience of the Quinta Normal Comprehensive Medical Demonstration Center, from which it was spun off to respond to urgent maternal and child needs.  Not only did it anticipate elements of the current comprehensive and community-based model, but it also validated it in practice, showing that it is possible to significantly improve health indicators and equity in innovative ways and in partnership with the community. This model remains a benchmark for addressing the current health challenges and needs of people and their communities.