Clínica Providencia
Clinica Providencia is a ministry of Hope Nicaragua in Managua. The clinic operates immediately adjacent to Barrio Jorge Dimitrov, one of the roughest barrios in Managua. It is an area plagued by drugs and gang violence. Access to medical care in this barrio is very limited, and needs are great.
Hope Nicaragua purchased and renovated a large building in Barrio Jorge Dimitrov in 2012 and completed renovations in 2013. The clinic provides services in the areas of general medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/ gynecology, dentistry, and optometry. There is also a clinical laboratory. Some of the special programs offered by the clinic include women’s screening for cervical cancer (in Nicaragua, cervical cancer is the leading cause of death of women between the ages of 30 and 60) and annual physicals for children.
Accomplishments in 2015 include the following:
- There were 6,000 patient visits.
- The 6,000 visits included 1,120 children.
- There were 850 dental patients.
Austin Samaritans provided most of the medical equipment, instruments, and supplies for the clinic. Included in the equipment provided are a cryotherapy unit and a LEETZ unit for treating precancerous cervical lesions. In addition, Dr. Doty with Austin Samaritans facilitated obtaining a grant from the Rotary Foundation that was used to purchase additional gynecology instruments and a colposcope. These resources enable the clinic to provide a comprehensive program for screening women for breast and cervical cancer and to provide treatment for precancerous lesions, thereby preventing the subsequent development of cancer. Another one of Austin Samaritans’ generous donors funded equipment for the dental rooms and provides ongoing support of the dental operations.
Nicaragua’s public health system provides inpatient care and physical therapy to the extent it can, but consistent outpatient medical care for those affected has been sorely deficient. Clínica Providencia will help meet that need.
