Nicaragua Power Cuts Endanger Public Hospitals
Several weeks of power cuts in Nicaragua are forcing public hospitals to cutback on surgeries and threatens deterioration of stored vaccines.

Although hospitals have generators, the high cost of running them for as long as eight hours a day, particularly in the interior of the country, is prohibitive.

Lack of electricity is also causing health problems with insufficient potable water.

Union Fenosa, the Spanish transnational that distributes Nicaraguan electricity, blames the blackouts on technical problems and a deficit of 100 Mw/hour.

Consumer groups are urging Union Fenosa to buy the necessary electricity in the Central American market to end the crisis that is also affecting commercial and productive sectors.