Welcome to the health center in Sutiava (also spelled Sutiaba; "b" and "v" are the almost the same in Spanish), a neighborhood in Leon. The clinic opens every morning at 7 AM. It usually loses power by 7:15 or 7:30, but lately we've had power until 8:00 or even 8:15 AM once! There also is no water until about 3 PM in the afternoon or later, at which point, the clinic is already closed. The lack of power and water have been widespread problems in Nicaragua due to rising energy costs and lack of electrical power capacity since January (some people say since Feb, May, last year, 5 years ago, or forever...not sure who is right). Doctors and med students do what they can given the conditions. They have solar-powered calculators that work pretty well next to the windows. I think that the lab at the health center has its own generator. When it rains (happens a lot now since it's the rainy season), it sometimes gets too dark despite the abundance of windows, so the doctors and med students work by candlelight. Public healthcare here in Nicaragua is free, although medications are not. The clinic tries to give out samples if they have medications, but they often are undersupplied.I've spent most of my time in pediatrics learning with the medical students. They're a friendly and helpful group. Most of the patients are little itty-bitty babies and toddlers. Whenever we get a baby that's like 5 or 10 days old, I'm always thinking to myself, "Wow, I've lived in Nicaragua longer than this kid!"
