The Struggles and Triumphs of A Doctor in Nicaragua

For many people on the Island of Ometepe, visiting the doctor requires a full day of travel over rutted dirt roads in order to reach one of the few medical clinics that to serve the native population. I could feel myself sweating as the van pulled to a stop, and the air ceased its flow through the open windows. Although it was barely 9am, there was already a line of mostly women and children waiting outside the clinic. Although the clinic was painted a cool teal, the inside of the building was stiflingly humid, and wasp nests were clustered on the ceilings of every room. The doctor had arrived in the van with us as she did every morning, and patients started to file into the clinic for treatment. Although many of these people were in desperate need of medical care, no one fought their way to see the doctor first, even though this could mean they would have to wait outside the entire morning before receiving treatment. I was able to observe the doctor's treatment of one of the patients. He was a young, muscular male, probably a farmer. His wife and bright-eyed son also joined him. As the man explained his ailment to the attentive doctor, I could see despair welling up in his eyes. He only spoke Spanish so I was only able to understand a bit of what he was saying. After he was done explaining, the doctor took his hands and they both bowed their heads in prayer. I felt tense. I was unsure of what was going on, and I did not know if I should keep watching, or also bow my head in prayer. After the man left the stuffy office, I asked the translator why they had been praying. She kindly explained to me that he was depressed because of an injury he had suffered. In Nicaragua, there are no medications for depression so the doctor did the only thing she could do. She prayed with him. I will never forget what I felt that day. A mixture of compassion for a man who cannot get treatment for his ailment, and awe that a doctor with so few resources was able to provide such ingenious treatment to this man in need.