Building on progress, successful experiences and best practices

During the Forum for Multi-Ethnic Regional Autonomy 2020, held by URACCAN as part of the celebration of the 26th years of the Intercultural Community University and the 33rd of Autonomy, the Master Carlos Alemán, coordinator of the Autonomous Regional Government of the North Caribbean, discussed the "Development Strategy of the Caribbean Coast. Where are we going? Building on progress, successful experiences and good practices," he explained that great progress has been seen in these 33 years of the regional process.

German mentioned that in 2005 consensus began in the Caribbean population for the creation of its own document known as the Caribbean Coast Development Plan, but it was until 2007 that this mechanism, its own instrument and in this way be able to articulate it with the Central Government , which contemplates the aspirations of the costañas and costeños for the development of it, which has been articulated with the Human Development Plan.

In this document some indicators were reflected, none is more relevant than the other, stated the coordinator, first, it began with one that was called Mother Earth, which has to do with all governance in the territories, "first it was to recognize that there were indigenous communities and that there was an approach in terms of territorial rights, so it began with the title of indigenous lands".

In addition, he recalled that when the process of governance of Enrique Bolaños, the lands of Bosawás had been titled, but in the name of the State, "and given as loans to the communities that were in Bosawás, then, we said let us compose that, that they are instituted on behalf of the communities (...); that was changed and we started to own the rest of the territories, 24 indigenous territories have been titled, between the North Caribbean, The South Caribbean, plus those in Jinotega and which includes a part in the South in Rio San Juan," he said.

In order to carry out these comprehensive processes, at least 500 dialogues had to be carried out with the territories, "about three months ago we ended the last one, with the last request for an extension of the qualification process, (...); Nicaragua has 180 thousand km2, 133 thousand were titled on behalf of indigenous communities," German reported.

Caribbean Coast, appropriate in the health of the peoples

Another element included in the plan is the whole health issue, currently the Autonomous Regions encounter a shortfall in human resources dedicated to health. "We have one doctor for every 3,000 inhabitants, and we compare ourselves to the best that exists in Latin America, which are Cubans, who are one doctor for every 124 inhabitants, we are still far away, so we need to continue on the issue of continuing to train human resources, which has been done with URACCAN, the career of Medicine was opened," he said.

In this same context, infrastructure has been advanced on the Caribbean Coast, "since the plan was formulated with the Alta (Hooker), this health model was identified as needing infrastructure, for example, Bilwi Hospital, is not designed to be a hospital, it was a Shelter Center for people who had gone to Honduras in the 80s, due to the war , (...); in Bilwi we are going to build the largest hospital in the Caribbean in Central America, not the Nicaraguan Caribbean, but in all of Central America," he explained.

It should be mentioned that hospitals on the North Caribbean Coast had been designed to serve the four basic specialties, which are; pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine and gynecology, "here (Bilwi) we are going to have 19 specialties and we do not have all the resources formed, there we were with the rector right now with the rectors of the universities to create the spaces in the specialties, so that the people of the Coast can qualify for that," the coordinator said.

German also said that another of the great infrastructures that will be being built in the health aspect, is in the municipality of Siuna, where there will be a departmental hospital, which will have 12 specialties, similarly primary hospitals were created in Bonanza, Prinzapolka and "we still lack Waspam", similarly, the sub-headquarters of health was held in the community El Hormiguero , in Siuna, in the community of Sahsa, on the territory of Tasba Pri, and will begin in December with the construction of the new sub-site in the community of Ninayari, emphasized.