Population: 100,294,036 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 17,987,500; female 17,289,875)
15-64 years: 61% (male 29,610,813; female 31,216,342)
65 years and over: 4% (male 1,873,986; female 2,315,520) (1999
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.73% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 24.99 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.83 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.62 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy
at birth:
total population: 72 years
male: 68.98 years
female: 75.17 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican
Ethnic groups: mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 91.8%
female: 87.4% (1995 est.)
Villahermosa, Tabasco MEXICO
Hospital del Niño Dr. Rodolfo Nieto Padrón
Operation Rainbow was first introduced to the children of Villahermosa through its participation in the Greater Houston Partnership Trade Mission to Villahermosa in the spring of 1996. During the brief weekend hosted by Governor Roberto Medrazo Pintado, Sue Ellen Ruggles and Volunteer Jo Howard met Dr. Lucio Lastra Escudero, Mister of Health for the State of Tabasco, and Medical Director Dr. Luis Graham Zapata and the staff of Hospital del Niño "Dr. Rodolfo Nieto Padrón".
Hospital del Niño serves not only the children of Tabasco, but also the children of the surrounding states and northern Guatemala. Operation Rainbow quickly recognized that our volunteers could assist this highly dedicated staff in achieving some of its goals in the area of indigent patient care and continuing medical education. A collaborative relationship formed.
February 1997: Plastic Surgery Mission. By the end of five surgical days, 32 children received free reconstructive surgery, 1 child was identified for the Sponsor Child Program, the staff received instruction on the parameters of a cleft / craniofacial team and the educational goals of selected staff members were determined.
July 1997: Educational Program. Two pediatric surgeons and two operating room nurses from Hospital del Niño traveled to Houston, Texas as guests of Operation Rainbow, Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. The Rainbow volunteers and additional staff at Texas Children’s Hospital provided education on surgical technique, operating room nursing and a family centered care in the recovery room.
• July / August 1997: Sponsor Child Program. Concurrent to the educational program, Yuliana, a toddler with a "mitten hand" traveled to Houston with her mother. Working with the visiting surgeons from Hospital Del Niño, Dr. William Riley demonstrated the techniques to liberate the thumb that would allow Yuliana to pick up objects.
• January / February 1998: Plastic Surgery and Pediatric General Surgery Mission. As a continuation of both the educational program for the hospital staff and the service to the children of Villahermosa, a team of plastic surgeons, pediatric general surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses provided two days of didactic (classroom) teaching followed by the completion of 71 surgeries for the children.
• January / February 1999: Plastic Surgery and Pediatric General Surgery Mission. The annual missions continue with clinical teaching in plastic surgery, pediatric surgery, pediatric oncology and nursing. Forty-one children received the gift of free surgical care.
And, we continue – together. This mission (July 2000) will focus on clinical (surgical) service and didactic (classroom) teaching designed to strengthen the overall care of a child with a cleft lip and/or palate. A daily lecture will focus on the following requested topics: Velopharyngeal insufficiency (plastic surgery); Oral Appliances for the Cleft Palate Infant (orthodontics); Self Esteem in the Cleft Palate Child (psychology); and Anesthesiology in the Short Stay Patient (anesthesiology). Five surgical days are included.
