After the first months in office of re-elected President Daniel Ortega’s government, there has been positive evolution of investment, construction, export earnings, and other major economic indicators: “satisfactory” to use the in-vogue word of the International Monetary Fund. This has all happened in here in Nicaragua, a country with limitless potential, despite much nay-saying by many who view the return of the Sandinista Party to power as a throwback to ill-fated times past gone or new dark ages more unimaginable than any harbinger of doom that a Cassandra could predict.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the new administration began working on keeping some campaign promises.

Orders came down from the Executive Branch to eliminate all charges for basic healthcare services at State-run facilities. Past administrations had chipped away at the concept of free healthcare by levying different fees, even charging for some rudimentary medicines. This will naturally result in increased use of the facilities by some of the poorest people who, before this measure, did not seek healthcare because they knew they could not afford it. Just how much more demand there will be has yet to be seen.

Likewise, charges at public schools had the kibosh put to them with the end to the scheme for “school autonomy.” That set up allowed the administration of a public school to charge parents a fee for each child attending. The money raised that way would be used to improve the school facilities and the schooling offered there. One result was that parents were keeping some of their children out of school because it was beyond the reach of their meager economic means.

Both measures mean that the government will have to look for resources in order to fill the financial breach created by not having such additional income coming into each individual facility.