February 2021
In 2002, a program to bring primary health care to six of the poorest barrio’s bordering Lake Managua began as a one-year pilot project by Father Denis Hebert and a missionary friend Gordon Carter from Comox BC.
Today almost 20 years later the Casa Esperanza Satellite Clinic program continues to provide health care to five of the original six communities.
People in these barrios live in extreme poverty with the majority being unemployed and no steady income. Public health services are available outside of the community but many cannot afford the costs associated with visits to service providers let alone costs for medications.
The Casa Esperanza Satellite Clinic program provides walk-in consultations for members of the community for a minimal fee and is free to children under the age of 13. Medications are also provided free of charge to those families who do not have the means to pay for them.
In 2020, 2,579 consultations were provided, most of which included a medicinal product being offered free of charge to the patient or family.
As noted in the chart, respiratory problems in young children continue to be a problem due to atmospheric conditions within the homes where many still use a wood burning stove without proper ventilation for cooking.
Dermatological diseases found in the communities include scabiasis (scabies in the skin), pediculosis (hair lice) and dermatitis from sun exposure effects. These are diseases typical of overcrowding and the poor hygienic sanitary conditions in which they live.
With the arrival of Covid-19, a campaign was launched to promote hand hygiene in the neighborhoods. During the peak of pandemic contagion in Nicaragua, it was decided to suspend medical care in the barrios from May to July. There was no medication that could be administered for Covid-19 and the risk of contagion was very high because of the living conditions in the neighborhoods.
Upon the re-opening of the clinics in August, consultations were limited to 15 patients per barrio to avoid crowding and members of the community continued to be kept informed of preventive measures for communicable diseases.
As part of the Casa Esperanza Satellite Clinic program, your donations provide funding for medications and weekly visits by a doctor. The clinics are located in the home of a community member who is trained by FUNDACCO on basic first aid and health care.
