Why Access Matters: Carmen’s Story and the Future of Diagnostic Care

Meet Carmen. Carmen is an 83-year-old grandmother who recently visited OneWorld Health’s Huembes facility. For months Carmen’s lower limbs had been significantly swollen, she was experiencing fatigue, and had an irregular heartbeat.

She came in for an evaluation, including bloodwork, and the doctor requested a chest x-ray. Accessing an x-ray can either lead to significant delays in treatment through the government system which can take more than 3 months to get, or be very expensive through private facilities. Carmen was able to access an x-ray through a private facility and was diagnosed with severe hypertension—an illness that drastically increases the risk for strokes and heart attacks.

The medical team at Clínica Huembes created a comprehensive treatment plan for Carmen including medicine and lifestyle alterations. At her four week follow up appointment, Carmen had major improvement with her swelling and fatigue. And during her most recent visit all initial medical concerns were alleviated, and all testing resulted within acceptable limits!

Carmen’s story serves as an important reminder of the power of providing access to affordable primary healthcare. Too often, our brothers and sisters with seemingly small symptoms such as fatigue and swelling are not able to access primary care and healing which leads to emergency needs. OneWorld Health’s new diagnostic and imaging center will include x-ray services and will be located in the heart of Managua, eliminating access issues for patients like Carmen.

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