Background
Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, has witnessed an increasing population growth over the past decades which has put enormous pressure on the local healthcare system. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that healthcare centres in the capital serve as referral facilities for the entire country. As a consequence, Managua currently has a shortage of 4.000 hospital beds. In 2010, in order to reinforce and extend the healthcare infrastructure in the city, the government of Nicaragua set up a project to develop a new, high-quality, general hospital in Managua.
To implement the project, the government of Nicaragua made a financial arrangement with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). The loan granted by the CABEI, however, is a concessional loan. In order to meet the concessionality demand, the government of Nicaragua wished to apply for an ORIO grant from the Dutch government. SAB MedConsult and AMPC were asked by the Ministry of Health to prepare the ORIO grant application, and if awarded, to develop the hospital project.
Goals
To secure financing and to develop a comprehensive project plan aimed at realizing a 320 bed specialized general hospital in Western Managua which will provide high-end gynaecological, neonatal, paediatric, surgical, and traumatologic medical services.
Approach
AMPC, together with SABMedConsult, prepared the ORIO application which was selected as eligible at the beginning of 2011. Currently, a complete feasibility study and project plan are being developed for the new hospital including, among others, a medical functional plan, architectonic design and engineering requirements, equipment specifications, an environmental impact analysis, a human resources and training plan, a maintenance programme, and a procurement plan.
Results
2010: ORIO grant application;
2011: ORIO grant awarded, project development is currently ongoing.