2006年VOA标准英语-Many Peruvians Struggle to Gain Health Car

By Michael Bowman
Washington
03 May 2006

When it comes to health care, Peru faces daunting¹ challenges. The infant mortality rate is among the highest in Latin America, as is the mortality rate for women in childbirth. Peru also suffers from relatively² high rates of tuberculosis³ infection, in addition to dengue fever and malaria⁴. Complicating⁵ matters is an underfunded health system that does not reach many remote communities in the mountainous, Andean nation.

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A group of mothers wait with their babies for appointments at a government clinic outside Lima, Peru
  

Juli Lorena Amaya says her ailing⁶ infant daughter is lucky to be alive. Unable to secure medical attention in her tiny village in the north of Peru, this 21-year-old mother turned to the Catholic Church for help. A church volunteer brought the entire family to Lima for tests that revealed cysts along the infant's pancreas and kidneys. Juli Amaya's husband, 20-year-old Juan, says he is grateful for the treatment he hopes will save his daughter's life, but notes the following: He says, "There are many people who are not as lucky as we are."

For every heartwarming story of needs being met, there are countless⁷ others where suffering goes unabated or where help arrives too late, according to church volunteer Elizabeth Flores, who opened her home to the Amaya family for their stay in Lima.

"Many people already have large tumors or are completely incapacitated, close to death, by the time they get medical care," she says. "We need help so that health centers can treat everyone, especially those in rural areas without financial resources."

Fighting to improve access to health care in Peru is Pedro Francke, national coordinator⁸ of an umbrella group of civil organizations known as Foro Salud, or "Health Forum⁹."

He says, "A very serious problem for Peru is that about 25 percent of the population has no access to health care. The biggest reason is economic. Many people have to pay at public hospitals for operations, medicine, etc. And since more than 50 percent of the population is poor, and 20 percent lives in extreme poverty, many people do not have the resources to pay for health care."

Patient suffering from cholera¹⁰ at a local hospital in Tuman,Peru  
  
Juli Amaya's daughter, whose prognosis is uncertain, is being treated at a state-run health center in Lima that receives funding from Peru's Health Ministry¹¹. Services are subsidized but not free, and those lacking health insurance must pay. Chief Physician Jorge Reyes says his staff does the best it can with the funding it receives.

He says, "Undoubtedly¹², the state cannot absorb all the costs that would be required for health professionals to be able to offer better services. Our operations are minimal¹³. Many times we want to do more for people, but we lack the means. Much of our medical equipment is old or needs maintenance."

Peru recently held first-round presidential elections, with all major candidates promising¹⁴ to improve health care. Some have pledged universal coverage¹⁵ that eliminates inequalities in medical attention due to income or geographic¹⁶ location. Once again, health care advocate Pedro Francke.

"We heard a lot of debate in the elections, with many candidates promising to improve health care," he says. "These promises are to be expected, but I would hope that the next government makes a serious effort to improve access to health care, and dedicates more resources and political energy to that end."

Pedro Francke says health care spending accounts for only about five percent of Peru's gross domestic product, a smaller proportion than many of its neighbors and a fraction of what is spent by industrialized nations. He says more money is needed, but also a better, more efficient use of funds.

1 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 complicating   

使复杂化( complicate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• High spiking fever with chills is suggestive of a complicating pylephlebitis. 伴有寒战的高热，暗示合并门静脉炎。
• In America these actions become executive puberty rites, complicating relationships that are already complicated enough. 在美国，这些行动成了行政青春期的惯例，使本来已经够复杂的关系变得更复杂了。

6 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

13 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

14 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

15 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

16 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法