Nicaragua Health & Medical - Hacienda Merida

  Nicaragua

Rural Areas

Durations of Program: 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks
Dates: Year round, monthly departures

Description: Maderas Volcano is in the process of being declared a National Park. The proposal has been accepted by the government. The Ometepe Foundation has actively participated in the elaboration of a work plan. In the near future they will be administrating with the government the authorization of the National Park.

Also, Foundation Ometepe, has developed a pharmacy project in which they will be teaching pharmacists throughout the country and educating them about the drugs they are selling.

Many studies indicate training programs on rational drug use aimed exclusively at medical doctors can only have a limited effect and that such efforts should be extended to other providers who are more active in prescribing drugs and providing health advice. Skills of these drug sellers need to be upgraded to improve their ability to prescribe and dispense medications appropriately. Pharmacy owners and their drug attendants in community pharmacies in the developing world are not exclusively motivated by financial gain. Studies show that an improvement of their self-image and their improved status in the community as recognized health professionals are also important motivating factors

About 4/5th of the world's population now live in developing countries such as Nicaragua. At least 1.3 billion people in Nicaragua and other developing countries try to make ends meet on less than one dollar a day and cannot afford a medical doctor. Doctors play a relatively minor role in the treatment of most diseases in Nicaragua because the patient never sees them. For the rural poor in Nicaragua traditional healing represent the most common first line of treatment for the sick. The World Health Organization estimates that about 80% of the world's people rely on herbal medicines and other traditional healing.

If these remedies do not resolve their illness, the patient may then turn towards Western medicine. This does not mean going to a medical doctor. The reality is the overwhelming majority of the poor in Nicaragua bypass doctors and go straight to pharmacies for their second line of advice and treatment. It is not uncommon in rural areas to find children and adults with less than an elementary school education serving as pharmacists and selling medication to the public. Most pharmacy attendants are untrained and unqualified to diagnosis, treat, prescribe and dispense medication. Yet these pharmacy attendants serve as the principal "medical practitioner" for every medical condition imaginable for the poor in Nicaragua. They diagnose, treat and prescribe pharmaceutical drugs without even a rudimentary understanding of disease and or appropriate treatment. The question isn't whether Nicaragua's pharmacies should receive a formal training on the medications they prescribe but why hasn't it already been done in any kind of systemic manner already.

Closer to Nicaragua, (Kroeger et al 2001) studied the prescribing abilities of pharmacy attendants at a 191 Guatemala urban pharmacies. Over 80% of the treatments recommended were considered inappropriate including unnecessary and dangerous drugs. The main conclusions of the study were that general incompetence among pharmacy staff along with commercial pressures from pharmaceutical companies, lack of knowledge of standard treatments and poor understanding of legal regulations lead to inappropriate diagnosis and treatment. The study stated that pharmacy owners and drug vendors need to be made more aware that selling drugs should involve a provision of healthcare as well as profit-making. The recommendation of this study of Guatemalan pharmacies was that mass training of pharmacy owners and attendants should be undertaken to improve their understanding and treatment of common diseases.

Highlights: Foundation Ometepe needs volunteers with a Health and Medical background to help with the aforementioned Pharmacy Project. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work with community members to educate them on the importance of health and medicine in their community. This includes visiting clinics and locals at their homes to educate them in health and medicine, while also assisting directly in the clinics on the island.

Qualifications: Volunteers should be creative, adaptable, and ready to work. Some Spanish background and a willingness to help in whatever task might come along would be of benefit while in placement. If you have a volunteer spirit, we don't think anyone would have any difficulty in this working site.

Cost in US$: $2530 USD for 8 weeks; $135 for each additional week

Experience Required: yes

A background in Spanish would be of benefit.

Typical Volunteer: We believe everyone can contribute by volunteering. Recent graduates from high school, college or university, professionals taking a career break, recent retirees, individuals or groups who are interested in a change and the chance to enrich their own life and the lives of others. If you are 18 years or older you can apply for any of the placements available. If you are from 16-18 years old you may apply for placements near our Volunteer Abroad Office and Residence, so that we are able to give you more support. Both students and professionals are needed for placements in all our countries.

Age Range: 18+

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Nicaragua Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of Custom

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Resume
• Written Application

Volunteer Abroad's Mission Statement: We believe international volunteering promotes cross-cultural learning that helps create global awareness, understanding between cultures and provides the platform for positive change. Our volunteers have taught in schools, provided disaster relief support for the International Red Cross, conducted essential research to improve the management strategies of threatened environments, built homes for impoverished people, provided vocational training and programs for street kids and have worked in co-operation with hundreds of local organizations to distribute aid and improve the quality of life for people throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Year Founded: 1998