Monday, July 14, 2008

Bertha Calderón

Bertha Calderón Women’s Hospital is often a last resort. Patients come from all over Nicaragua. Cases that cannot be diagnosed or that are deemed incurable elsewhere in the country are referred to Bertha Calderón. Thus, the importance of this hospital is immense. For many women it is a last chance for treatment. I was fortunate enough to tour the facility on my trip to Nicaragua last May.

Women arrive at the hospital with diverse needs. Pregnant women, many still in their teens, wait for appointments in the maternal clinic. Beds in the oncology wing are full of patients. Nurses and doctors hurry in and out of the operating room, clad in green scrubs.

Bertha Calderón is a paradox. The building is nearly forty years old. The hallways are dark from low lighting. Patients appear tired, anxious, and gloomy. Yet, despite the darkness, the hospital buzzes with life. The staff rushes from room to room. Doctors exit and enter with charts. Carts with pharmaceuticals roll down the halls. As I move through these scenes, my tour guide, a director at the hospital, explains the range of work the hospital does. Women receive medical services, which would otherwise have been inadequate, if offered at all.

Places like the Bertha Calderón Hospital benefit directly from ANF. Our mission to support the poorest people in Nicaragua shows real results here. Without the Bertha Calderón Hospital, many women would suffer from lack of adequate healthcare—one of the hallmarks of underdevelopment and poverty.

Bertha Calderón depends on support from ANF. We can only continue giving that support with your help. Join us in helping the women of Nicaragua continue to receive necessary healthcare. Donate today.