The women's cancer hospital

Yesterday afternoon, I went and visited the women’s oncology ward as well as a shelter for women. Women who are on the waitlist for cancer treatment have to stay in the shelter, or they will lose their place in line. This means they cannot be with their families while they are waiting to be treated. The shelter does not receive funding from the government, so it is run on donations by an amazing woman named Marta. She said anytime they didn’t have food or clothes or shoes, she prayed, and God gave them to her. She has incredible faith. The conditions in the hospital ward itself were not what would be considered acceptable in an American healthcare facility. It was dirty, hot and understaffed, there were six or more women in a room, nurses had to walk down the hallway to empty bedpans. All down the walls of the hospital were President Daniel Ortega’s propaganda posters. They have pictures of him and say things like “peace” “love” “solidarity” "christian" "with all and for the good of all" (similar to the billboard below). I found myself getting so angry at him, at his corruption, at the fact that he is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and runs one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere where people have to be on a waiting list to get cancer treatment.