In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached Central America and Nicaragua, leaving a trail of pain, suffering, and death for hundreds of thousands of people. Within health personnel, the management of symptoms and severity in patients has caused psychological distress in them.

During the pandemic, health workers battled from the front line to contain virus transmission and save the lives of thousands of Nicaraguans. The world watched exhausted doctors and nurses fighting to save their patients horrified, and this shocked the whole society. International agencies and non-governmental organizations quickly understood that the safety and health of this group were fundamental to carrying out their work during the crisis. Their protection should therefore be a priority.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Movicancer team, with the support of organizations such as AMCA, SDC, Physicians International Switzerland, and Canton of Geneva, It managed to raise more than 9.6 million cordobas (USD$273,000.00) for the purchase of Covid-19 protective equipment for health personnel in 7 hospital units in Nicaragua.

• Women’s Hospital “Bertha Calderón Roque”
• National Radiotherapy Center “Nora Astorga”
• General Hospital “Fernando Vélez Paiz”
• Medical Surgical Hospital “Manolo Morales”
• General Hospital “Alemán Nicaragüense”
• Regional Hospital “Humberto Alvarado”

In total, more than 362 thousand pieces of covid19 protection materials have been delivered including: KN95 masks, surgical masks, waterproof masks, gowns, boots, hats, ergonomic protective lenses, face shields, and other materials that helped protect more than 5.365 healthcare workers in these hospitals.

It has not been left behind, ensuring the safety and health of the support staff, for example, laundry attendants, cleaning personnel, and the medical waste management team, “We are admired and grateful for their dedication!”

This program, based on the Emergency Fund for Containment of Covid-19, supported these hospitals during the years 2020-2023.

“Now, we have had equipment that is needed to save the lives of men and women who are in the front line of battle against the Covid-19,” said Movicancer Foundation Deputy Director Benito Martinez Granera.

On behalf of the health personnel, Ms. Francisca Ulloa Reyes, interim head of nursing at the Bertha Calderón Hospital, said: “We feel very grateful, this will help us with what the Covid-19 pandemic is, to reduce infections, in addition, protection is very important for our nursing staff and the rest of the team.”

“For us, our contribution has been as part of the global solidarity needed to deal with the pandemic, and it has been a pleasure to support the Ministry of Health in the challenge of facing the pandemic,” said Beat Schmid, AMCA’s representative in Central America.

It is crucial that healthcare personnel, in addition to having personal protective equipment, also have instructions and training on how to use it correctly, which is why the Movicancer Foundation prepared a series of educational videos on how to properly place and remove personal protective equipment. This was intended to contribute to the security and control of the epidemic in our country. The third implementation phase of these funds was focused on supporting cancer patients, who are easy targets for the COVID-19 virus. These patients go to the National Chemotherapy Center, to apply the treatment that could save their lives in the face of cancer. Thousands of patients and their families were supported, with the purpose of promoting adherence to cancer treatment that could save their lives.