"Our aim is to improve basic health-care provision for people living in rural areas, who cannot easily travel to medical centres,” said Gabriel Santangelo, who is in charge of ICRC cooperation with National Societies in the Southern Cone and Brazil. “These are vulnerable, mainly Mapuche, communities."

The ICRC has been supporting health-care activities in southern Chile since 2007, as part of its work to boost the humanitarian activities of Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies all around the world. The Chilean Red Cross has been travelling to rural areas and offering dental care for over nine years, but through its cooperation with the ICRC, it has now expanded the scope of its work. In 2008, therefore, the Chilean Red Cross will run first-aid workshops and rural health-care initiatives and hold talks on preventing and treating illness in five municipalities.

The health-care day gave residents from Chaura Alto, Juan Licuante and the surrounding area access to general medical treatment, dental care and gynaecological care. They could also check their weight and find out their blood group.