After several months of suspending the free medical telecounseling promoted by the Nicaraguan Medical Unit (UMN), the organization announced that the telephone lines are once again available to citizens.
The initiative arose as a result of the first cases of the pandemic of COVID-19. Independent doctors, in this context, provided their services to dozens of citizens who were victims of the virus, however they had to suspend the process due to the boycott and political persecution that was carried out against them.
Related news: Nicaraguan Medical Unit demands more vaccines against COVID-19 due to rebound in cases
Hours of care for both general medicine and patients with coronavirus It will be Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The UMN, which is part of the labor union sector in the Civic Alliance, was created in 2018. Many of the doctors that make it up provided care to citizens who were victims of government repression during the civic protests in April 2018.
Attack on the UMN
In 2021, the Police at the service of the Daniel Ortega regime constantly besieged the UMN offices, forcing its president, Dr. José Antonio Vásquez, to announce the closure of the facilities. To date, the organization registers a total of 250 doctors who have had to go into exile.
The last doctor who decided to go into exile was the neurosurgeon Jairo Gutierrezwho decided to leave the country days after being attacked by three unknown subjects.
The doctor told Article 66 that on February 5 at seven at night he was intercepted by a group of men when he was leaving a pharmacy in the Monseñor Lezcano neighborhood.
Related news: Nicaraguan doctor goes into exile after being beaten by Ortega supporters
«The three subjects were waiting for me to leave the pharmacy, when I was going to board my vehicle they hindered me and one of them hit me in the face, I responded; and the three of them hit me,” the specialist denounced.
This media outlet tried to communicate with the president of the Nicaraguan Medical Unit, Dr. José Antonio Vásquez, to find out more details of the work they do with telecounseling, but we were unable to establish contact.