Maria EstradaPerez

A Peruvian inventor who created the first mobile healthcare units for Andean indigenous communities.

Maria EstradaPérez (1842–1912) designed and constructed portable medical clinics on horse-drawn wagons to serve remote Andean villages. A self-taught physician, she combined Quechua herbal knowledge with European medical practices. Her "Casa de Salud Móvil" system provided prenatal care, vaccination campaigns, and emergency services to over 200,000 people. She trained 150 indigenous midwives through her 1883 "School of the Hills" program, reducing maternal mortality rates by 60% in Cusco region. Her 1897 publication "Health Without Borders" was adopted by the Pan-American Health Organization. Modern mobile clinics in Bolivia and Ecuador still use her modular design principles. The United Nations honored her in 2008 as a precursor to modern telemedicine. Her legacy is preserved in the Lima Medical Museum's permanent exhibit on 19th-century public health.