The AHCT lives for one purpose: to raise funds for Andean Health & Development (AHD), an organization dedicated to providing high quality health care in rural Ecuador through its two hospitals: Pedro Vicente Maldonado (PVM) Hospital in PVM and Hesburgh Hospital in Santo Domingo.
Funds raised from the bike rides will support the delivery of AHD’s mission and the expansion of the AHD Physician Residency Program. Only 15% of doctors in Ecuador have residency training, and the vast majority of these physicians live and work in Ecuador’s major cities, leaving rural communities lacking in good health care. Through its 3-year residency program in partnership with local Ecuadorian universities, AHD has trained 75 Ecuadorian doctors in rural Family Medicine. Residents become skilled in a wide variety of health services, including maternal and neonatal care.
Third-year residents of the program train subsequent classes of doctors. After graduation, the doctors work at an AHD hospital or another rural facility in Ecuador. As part of the Saludesa Fellowship, they receive continuing education, collaborate on research, and engage in policy and medical discussions.
Hesburgh Hospital, opened in 2014, is 90% financially self-sustaining. In addition to expanded clinical care and the residency program, Hesburgh Hospital is also the home of the Andean Health Institute, a center focused on clinical research and the expansion of AHD’s regional impact.
