by Maria Araica – FUNDACCO Project Coordinator
District II within the city of Managua, is comprised of 95 neighborhoods and is part of what was the center of the city destroyed by the earthquake of 1972. The Neighborhood “Edgard Lang” is located in this district. It has an estimated population of 8,000 people with 60% being children and young people.
Located within this District is the first cemetery which was established in 1866. Given the name San Pedro, it is a resting place for well-known prominent people from throughout the country. There is also the General Cemetery established in 1922 which is the largest in the nation.
The inhabitants of these neighborhoods are characterized by their low economic level, which has a consequence that children and young people do not have academic preparation as a priority.
Father JOSEPH DENIS HÉBERT, faced with the reality and the plight of his neighbors looked for alternatives that had the purpose of improving their living conditions, working with youth and children and prioritizing the health of the elderly.
From 1994 to December 2006, in the Communal House of the “Edgar Lang” neighborhood, Father Denis delivered programs and projects financed by Canadian friends and relatives. They included the development of a Communal Library, Typing and Computing Courses, Community Preschool, Medical Clinic and the construction of 12 houses for families who lived in extreme poverty. Likewise, with the vision of promoting the love of sports and the development of skills in young people, he implemented the practice of chess, chessboard and dominoes.
In 2002, the government Primary Health Care Program (APS) was implemented in the Community House, managed by Dr. Saúl Contreras, of Guatemalan origin and a friend of Father Denis.
In December 2006, the Primary Health Care Program was suspended due to political situations that arose at that time. Also in that year, public health services were privatized and there was a shortage of human and material resources in public hospitals.
In this context, Father Denis made arrangements to start the construction of a clinic in the neighborhood of Edgard Lang, with the aim of responding to the needs of medical care in the population. Due to the existing economic limitations of the people, it was not possible to make use of private hospital services.
The construction of the St Raphael Archangel Clinic began in 2007 and was completed in 2008. On June 19, 2009, the Ministry of Health gives legal recognition for the “Rafael Arcángel” Clinic to provide medical services to the residents of the “Edgard Lang” Neighborhood and surrounding barrios.
Services provided include:
General Medicine
Specific attention to women
Pap Smear test
Exudation
Specialized medical guidance
Care for chronic diseases
All these services are strengthened through exams by the laboratory to obtain a good clinical diagnosis, bearing in mind that we work in the preventive and curative health through the pharmacy medicines with the lowest possible costs for the accessibility of the population that visits the clinic.
