Healthcare in Nicaragua

Healthcare in Nicaragua

Nicaraguans face many health issues, including some that Americans face.  Some of the problems, though, most Americans don’t consider.  Most notably, indoor air pollution that Bruce, Pérez-Padilla & Albalak discuss. With unique problems, it’s important to have a functioning health care system. This blog post will take a brief look at healthcare in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua does offer high-quality healthcare, especially within the Managua region.  The healthcare system is a socialized one in which people don’t have to pay for routine visits.  In rural areas, though, the healthcare situation isn’t ideal.  People in rural areas have the lowest access to healthcare and 43% of the population lives in rural areas.   Some of this lack of access is definitely contributed to the lack of funding for medical professionals to work in rural areas as the Ministry of Health offers no incentives.

Maternal health is a major issue within the Nicaraguan healthcare system as maternal mortality in Nicaragua is above average for other Latin American and Caribbean countries.  As mentioned in one presentation in class, many childbirths, especially in rural areas, occur at home with no medical professionals present.  This contributes to the number of maternal deaths and complications.

One good thing about Nicaraguan healthcare, however, is that Nicaraguan healthcare is considerably cheaper than healthcare in America.  As a matter of fact, emergency care in public hospitals in Nicaragua is free.  Free health care in America is unheard of.  Nicaraguan health care is so cheap that there are “medical tourists” who travel to the country for the sole purpose of getting medical care.  Many of the physicians who work at top-quality (by American standards) hospitals such as the Vivian Pellas Metropolitano Hospital in Managua receive their medical education in the United States.

Sources

https://internationalliving.com/countries/nicaragua/health-care-in-nicaragua/

Rural Nicaragua

http://www.granpacifica.com/blog/healthcare-in-nicaragua/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-healthcare-in-nicaragua

http://www.granpacifica.com/healthcare.html