In November 2011 a team of 6 individuals traveled to Nicaragua to do a Medical Mission trip. Only some of the group had any medical training but all were willing and eager to see what God had in store for them – and wanted to do what they could to help the medical health of the people in Nicaragua. We packed our bags with vitamins and medications that we had purchased through Health Partners International. We also brought along some medical equipment to leave at the hospitals and clinics, and toys for the children and gift bags for the women and men.
We ran 3 medical clinics in 3 different and remote regions of Nicaragua. These are all areas where there is not a lot of medical support available and even when the physicians can see the patients; they know that prescriptions written will not be filled by the individuals – partly due to cost of the medications and partly because there is nowhere to fill the prescriptions – no pharmacies on the corner or at the mall! The Nicaraguan government will provide regional health clinics with medications but they are only supplied monthly and generally the supplies last only a week or so. So what we are able to provide is truly a blessing – to the people and also to the physicians we work with.
Our clinics follow an established routine – we set up the pharmacy and an area for the doctors to see patients. We work with doctors from Nicaragua – that way we don’t need a translator for the physicians. The patients line up often for hours before we arrive, we set up and get started as quickly as we can – after prayers for God’s presence and provision for the day. Pretty well everyone we see gets anti-parasite medication – if this is provided twice a year we can keep these people parasite-free which means that the food they eat is better digested and nutrients absorbed. And everyone gets at least a month’s supply of vitamins – again to improve overall nutritional health. We were blessed this trip to have a good supply of pre-natal vitamins so all of the expecting mothers received an entire bottle of vitamins! Most people get a pain medication supplies (either Tylenol or Advil). The rest of what we dispense depends on the diagnosis – we use a lot of antibiotics for infections and anti-inflammatory medication for arthritis. The hardest part is when we don’t have the medication that is required because we have used up all of our supply!
Altogether we saw close to 800 patients and dispensed over 1700 prescriptions. Our first clinic – in an area called Las Lourales – was a community of 5 regions and is in a mountainous area in Chinandega. When we arrived the parking lot was filled – with horses since this is the main mode of transportation here. There were a lot of people to see and by the time we were done the sun had set and we were using flashlights to read and fill the prescriptions! This is a region that was badly damaged by heavy rains in the fall. While we were there some clothing and other supplies that had been donated by PAN were distributed to the people of the region. It was a blessing to be part of the distribution of donations that had been sent in the container last spring!
Our other clinics were also in a poor areas one in el Bejuco and the other in el Jicaro. These are regions that we have run clinics in before and it was great to see some familiar faces and to be warmly greeted by the people. The clinic in el Jicaro was actually done out of classrooms that had been built by a previous PAN team and the church family there made us very welcome and had several services for us filled with praise and prayer. It is a very special place for PAN!
We also made time to visit 4 hospitals and pray for the patients while we distributed toys and gifts. We also met with some of the staff to assess how we could help further – with supplies, education, etc. There are a lot of needs and the staff are so thankful for any assistance that we can provide. It is also wonderful to see them using some of the equipment that had been donated in the past and shipped down – and to be able to report back to our donors that everything is being well used!
We know that we can’t cure everyone, or even provide treatment for everyone – but we also know that with God’s blessing and assistance we are making a difference and that His love is being shared with His people in Nicaragua through the Canadian teams.
The first picture is one of our waiting rooms and the other is 3 of the team members filling prescriptions and giving out antiparasite medications.
