With 28 years of service in Guatemala’s public health system, Licenciada Ana María Barrios, seño Ana María as she is referred to, has dedicated the last nine years of her career to the fight against cervical cancer. Ana María is the head of the Cervical Cancer division at the Departmental Directorate of Integrated Health Services Networks in Quetzaltenango, the Western Highlands region of Guatemala. Her tireless work has changed the lives of many women of the three ethnic groups there: Ladino, K’iche’ Maya, and Mam Maya; providing quality care and promoting early detection of cervical cancer.
In Guatemala, cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in women. Lack of information, limited access to health services and fear of diagnosis have hindered preventive screening as well as early detection of the disease. Ana María, marked by the loss of her sister to breast cancer, found a mission in her work: to prevent other families from going through the same pain.
Since assuming the role as head of the cervical cancer division, Ana María has worked in education and prevention, bringing information to rural communities and promoting the importance of cervical cancer screening. As a nurse and university professor, she has trained new generations of health professionals to ensure the continuity of her legacy.
Thanks to her dedication and because of other nurses like Ana María, more and more women in Quetzaltenango have access to cervical cancer prevention through screening for the human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes most types of cervical cancers, and to early precancerous treatment. Quetzaltenango’s current screening goal is 48,854 women, representing 70% of all women between the ages of 25 and 54. Her commitment has strengthened the confidence of patients and their families in health services, demonstrating that with adequate information and care, cervical cancer can be prevented and treated in time.
In Quetzaltenango, the SUCCESS project has contributed 10,540 HPV tests as a primary screening method from June 2021 to December 2024. SUCCESS is funded through investment from Unitaid. Expertise France is the lead partner and Jhpiego the country implementation and research partner, including Guatemala.
Ana María oversees the 24 health districts within Quetzaltenango department and she has trained cervical cancer facilitators in each one to ensure quality care for women at the municipal and community level. Her leadership has been key to strengthening the cervical cancer prevention and treatment network in the region and to the introduction of community based self-sampling in rural areas.
Ana María’s commitment has also improved the confidence of patients and their families in health services, demonstrating that with information and proper care, cervical cancer can be prevented and treated. Her empathy and dedication to service have been fundamental in building trust with patients. Her focus on education and continuing education has also allowed her to transmit her knowledge and values to new generations of health professionals. In addition, her work in the community has included partnerships with local actors as a way to strengthen access to health care in rural areas. Offering tests through home visits and workshops has increased access to HPV testing for women in the region.
The SUCCESS project has supported Ana María, her team, and others in the country by providing updated tools for the prevention and treatment of cervical precancer locally and nationally. Thanks to this support, more effective strategies have been implemented and informed through local design to reach the most vulnerable communities and improve access to health services.
Transforming lives through resilience
This is more than a phrase for Ana María; it is her philosophy of life. Her daily effort not only impacts her patients, but inspires future generations of health professionals. Her story demonstrates that dedication and commitment can make a difference in the lives of many people, building a more respectful and accessible health care system for all.
Fernando Arévalo was a Senior Communications and Knowledge Management Specialist for Jhpiego Guatemala and Aura Arévalo is a Monitoring & Evaluation Officer for the SUCCESS Project. Photographs by Aura Arevalo and Paulina Navarro for Jhpiego.
This story was reviewed by Tracey Shissler, Project Director for the SUCCESS Project.