Health care is a basic human right. In Nicaragua free health care is guaranteed by the Nicaraguan Constitution and despite the huge national debt and the extensive poverty, the government offers universal health care to its citizens.
Due to widespread need, the Nicaraguan government lacks the funding cover 100% of specialized care, which might mean certain medications aren’t available for free because the government prioritized buying food for poor families instead.
Through the Nueva Vida Clinic, the CDCA tries to compliment government health services by addressing health needs that are not being met. Three examples out of many are:
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Asthma
The clinic’s part-time pediatrician sees many asthma cases… due in part to poorly ventilated wood cook stoves and dirty air from dust and burning trash. The clinic’s pharmacy provides rescue inhalers AND maintenance inhalers to prevent the number of asthmatic crises that children have. Support groups with parents with asthmatic children meet. As a result, the Nueva Vida Clinic is slowly becoming the asthma center for the city.
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Chronic Care
Many clinics will only treat acute illnesses and not chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, Parkinson’s and epilepsy, but these people need continuing care in order to have quality of life. The Nueva Vida Clinic has a program to treat such patients. The pharmacy keeps a steady stock of medicines; therefore, the patients will not suddenly be without their life saving medications.
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Radiology
Patients in Ciudad Sandino who need ultrasounds, x-rays, and mammograms have to go to a public hospital to get on a waiting list. The Nueva Vida Clinic’s radiologist provides ultrasounds at low or no cost. The clinic has one of the few ultrasounds in an area serving over 180,000 people. The clinic also has an x-ray machine and the CDCA’s construction staff is building a lead-lined room for the machine.