Medical Care Nicaragua
If an individual falls ill in the United States, a typical reaction might be to visit a doctor or go to the hospital. In Nicaragua, this is not the case. Nicaraguan medical care is not as advanced as other countries. Nicaraguan hospitals do not have the technology hospitals do in other countries. However, progress is being made to improve the quality of medical care that is available in Nicaraguan hospitals.
• Organizations such as the Peace Corps and Developing Communities, Inc. are dedicated to renovating the hospitals and medical clinics of Nicaragua. Nicaraguan hospitals are known for being unclean and small, with inadequate staff and medical supplies. Dirty bathrooms do not even dispense clean water. Hygiene is not the top priority for Nicaraguan hospitals. Within the country, there are only about ten hospitals and one of the worst Nicaraguan hospitals is called Boaco Hospital. The conditions at the Boaco Hospital is said to be possibly the worst within the country.
• In 2007, Developing Communities, Inc., decided to fix up the Boaco Hospital to the best of their ability. Their first step was to clean up the maternity and gynecology wards in the hospital. Both of these wards in the hospital was overcrowded with expectant mothers waiting to receive care. The maternity and gynecology wards in the Nicaraguan hospital are really just two large rooms; both were dirty with chipped paint, and the bathrooms had broken walls and leaking faucets. The crew got to work, with the skilled workers repairing the bathrooms’ water systems. The bathroom in the hospital did not have a door on it: that was fixed as well. The unskilled workers repainted the maternity and gynecology rooms to make them appear brighter. They also cleaned every inch of both of these hospital rooms.
• The group did not stop there. There are many smaller medical clinics in Nicaragua then there are big hospitals. Developing Communities, Inc. repainted the entire clinic. They also fixed the doors and windows and gave the roof of the Nicaraguan clinic a complete overhaul. They are dedicated to improving medical conditions in Nicaragua by slowly repairing the hospitals and clinics there. Organizations like Developing Communities, Inc. are staffed with volunteers and there are many other groups that work in a similar way.
• Another group is called Travel Alive. This organization deploys volunteer to Nicaragua to improve the conditions of the residents. Although health care is not the only field that one can volunteer for, it is a very popular one. Individuals can volunteer to work in Nicaraguan hospitals and clinics in communities. While working in these hospitals, volunteers often learn basic Spanish as a way of communicating with the hospital patients. Many individuals who decide to volunteer in a Nicaraguan hospital wish to practice in medicine and can gain experience by working with the doctors and nurses in the Nicaraguan hospital.
Efforts to improve the bad conditions of Nicaraguan hospitals are always being made, although there is still a long way to go before these hospitals are completely safe for patients. Organizations and volunteers work tirelessly to improve the hospitals of Nicaragua.