[4]: v  However, the inequalities that are associated with outcomes and access have not been addressed, making it difficult for Guatemala to move forward in the field of health care.

[9]: 59 Once the Guatemalan Civil War ended in 1996 with the signing of the Peace Accords,[4] health care was placed in the hands of a new democratic government.

Termed the "Maya Mobile Clinic" or the "Other Public Health", traveling salespeople (often men) are a medical resource for Guatemalans living in the highlands.

[12] These salespeople offer raw and natural ingredients to mainly indigenous populations and give talks about their health qualities.

[12] Maya Mobile Clinics act as a midpoint between the physical distance of the Guatemalan highlands and public clinic locations, and as a midpoint between the cultural gap that separates Maya medicinal norms and values from Guatemala's public health sector's medicinal norms and values.

[14]: 24  In order to attack this problem head-on, "health service efforts must be culturally appropriate and emphasize awareness, prevention, early detection, and universal treatment".

[17] Similarly, the epidemiological profile of Guatemala shows that some of the most prevalent infectious diseases, like diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, are a direct result of poverty.

[18]: 32  High levels of poverty make the population more vulnerable to communicable diseases, which is why government funding of health care is necessary for the rural areas of Guatemala.

[20] With the health care system's provision of both clean water and food, the incidence of infectious and communicable diseases will decrease.

[18]: 32  Some of the effects of parasites include intestinal obstructions, which can hinder the body from absorbing nutrients, lead to a loss of appetite, impair long term growth, induce vomiting, cause anemia and anorexia, and in severe cases, cause death.

[18]: 35  Parasites are usually transferred through contaminated water, making them dangerous because they are able to induce malnutrition by consuming the body's nutrients, thus impeding a child's physical development.

Taking into account the language barriers, diet, and living conditions, the Mayan population suffers enormously when it comes to proper health care.

[30][page needed] Traditional Maya medical care involves plant medicine and ethnomedical practitioners who learn in one-on-one or self-taught settings.

[32] This large difference appears in other aspects of life as well, like family planning, susceptibility to disease, education level, and access to health care.

[32] Ishida et al. discovered that the combination of poverty and language barriers made indigenous women less likely to seek services from health care providers.

Similarly, the Ladino doctors that work in the health field make the indigenous people feel powerless and guarded instead of supported.

[39] Indigenous peoples' highland locality - often distant from main cities - makes travel to these hospitals expensive, further limiting access.

[41]: 147  At-risk women and infants frequently die because of their limited access to quality health care, as well as their perilous living conditions.

[15]: 3  In order to improve the health system and reduce the prevalence of malnutrition, easy availability of safe drinking water, together with disease treatment and prevention, are critical for the survival of Guatemalan children.

[15]: 3 [22]: 98  Improvement must be implemented at the community level, by renovating infrastructures in order to provide piped water and sanitary operations for the residents.

[17]: 23  This high rate is the result of many different factors, but mainly, it is a consequence of the scarcity of health care services, increased prevalence of illnesses, and the marginalization of women.

[43] Similarly, with a younger reproductive age, the chances of young mothers acquiring illnesses and transferring contaminants to their infants is very high.

[43] Very few births are attended by either doctors or nurses, making the indigenous population much more prone to complications related to pregnancy, delivery, or postpartum.

[17]: 62  Since the end of the Civil War, the indigenous population of Guatemala had turned to traditional practices for maternal deliveries because this group distrusted modern health care facilities and services provided by non-indigenous personnel.

[15]: 3  Similarly, breastfeeding plays a huge role in family planning, both as a nutrient and antibody source for infants, as well as a way to inhibit immediate fertility (because of the absence of menstruation) and allow for greater birth spacing.

Education is required in order to provide both indigenous and non-indigenous Guatemalans with the understanding to make personal health choices.

[41]: 163  However, many mothers explained that they would "normally not attend a medical service when their children presented the symptoms," for a variety of reasons including accessibility and dissatisfaction.

[55]: 56  Even with few years of education, women in the indigenous communities were more likely to understand and adopt different hygienic beliefs in order to prevent poor health outcomes.

[56]: 1  Different preventive measures including sanitation, hygiene, vaccines, and education work to improve the health outcomes for many people in developing countries.

[17]: 45  This statistic shows that more money can be spent working to provide preventive care services to the indigenous population of Guatemala.