he knows of about a dozen doctors who were summoned and told the same they accuse us of giving false news and generating fear in the people borgen said one doctor was told his medical license could be revoked and he could be charged with spreading false information borgen said he believes that doctor is no longer in nicaragua borgen was also summoned to the attorney generals office about the treatment he had given an opposition politician sought by authorities he said he viewed that as an attempt at intimidation its all linked borgen said when the vice president says something the rest of the institutions execute it borgen who himself has been ill with covid19 said that he did not know of any doctors who had had their licenses revoked or been charged with a crime but that many had left the country fearing that could happen the government had already shown willingness to put political pressure on health workers when big street protests broke out in april 2018 in response to a government change to the social security system the government told public health workers to not treat injured protesters those who disobeyed some 400 according to arguello were fired others went into exile at that time the pressure has continued during the pandemic from the time nicaragua started seeing its first coronavirus infections in march 2020 speaking of the pandemic was taboo wearing a surgical mask in hospitals became a political statement because administrators forbade hospital personnel from donning them masks could make patients nervous they said relatives and health workers reported secretive express burials of covid19 victims by personnel in white protective suits under cover of darkness la prensa nicaraguas main newspaper reported in july that a managua funeral home had performed 14 such burials in 10 days with patients from three hospitals in the capital nicaraguas health workers have been hit hard by the pandemic too at least 160 medical personnel have died from covid19 statistics the government has not shared according to arguello borgen said friday that 88 of those who died were doctors a doctor in the northwestern city of chinandega said physicians were unable to obtain coronavirus tests outside government hospitals and even those are strictly limited they have it controlled and if someone in a given case tests positive they handle it discreetly the doctor said they want to sell an image that the virus is controlled but she said her region was seeing a heavy load of cases the local hospital ward devoted to covid19 cases was full and a colleague who had been treating patients night and day died of the disease a month ago she too spoke on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals dr eddy valverde fled into exile in late june weeks after the government began arresting prominent opposition leaders he had faced months of threats and attacks on social media for speaking publicly about the governments handling of the pandemic journalists from government outlets had called