Sister City Hospital To Receive Aid

The Camilo Ortega Saavcdra Hospital (HCOS) in Juigalpa, Ann Arbor's Nicaraguan sister city, will be receiving a major donation of medical supplies and equipment. The shipment is valued at approximately $600,000 and will be coming from World Medical Relief of Detroit (WMR). World Medical Relief is an independent non-profit agency which collects and re-distributes medicines and medical equipment locally and internationally.

Last autumn, the Ann Arbor-Juigalpa Sister City Committee and the Nicaragua Medical Aid Project brought Dr. Xavier Luna Mena, the director of HCOS, to Ann Arbor to work on a set of proposals for submission to WMR. World Medical Relief was impressed with the official sister city relationship that exists between Ann Arbor and Juigalpa, and felt this would enhance the long-term success of the aid. Support was requested for three projects: a rural health clinic, the nursery and maternity ward of HCOS, and for the hospital in general. Juigalpa's HCOS is the supplier of health services for the entire central region of Nicaragua, an area greater in size than El Salvador. All three projects were approved.

Medical care in HCOS has suffered from a combination of a lack of equipment and supplies as well as overuse of existing hardware. Dr. Luna showed WMR staff slides of equipment that has been patched together time and again. He also showed slides of cooks preparing foods outside over an open fire due to broken down stoves.

While the equipment and pharmaceuticals are being donated by the good people at WMR, the shipping costs must be paid by sister city supporters. The medical goods are expected to fill an entire 40-foot sea cargo container, and shipping will cost at least S6000. Tax deductible donations can be sent to the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ), 730 Tappan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Each $1 received will pay for delivery of S100 worth of medical goods to Juigalpa. Checks should be made out to ICPJ/Juigalpa Hospital.

An Ann Arbor-Jugalpa Sister City medical public health/sanitation delegation is being planned for May 21 to 31. This group will focus primarily on public health issues in Nicaragua and Juigalpa. For more information cali Gregory Fox at 665-0655.