BY MARTÍN KOPPEL AND MARY-ALICE WATERS
HAVANA, Cuba - A volunteer brigade of 13 Cuban medical
professionals who spent 47 days in the Dominican Republic
offering health care to residents of areas devastated by
Hurricane Georges received a warm welcome on its return to
Havana November 13.
Cuban health minister Carlos Dotres, who greeted the internationalist volunteers at dawn at the José Martí International Airport in this city, said, "We are very proud of the work they have carried out with dedication, selflessness, and modesty," the Cuban daily Granma reported November 13.
Addressing a sizable group of reporters, Doctor Elías Valdés, head of the brigade, described some of their experiences. During their intense period of work, the Cuban volunteers performed 5,000 medical examinations and more than 120 surgical procedures. "Just a few hours ago, right at the Dominican airport, the last examination was completed," he reported.
On their arrival in Santo Domingo, capital of Cuba's sister Caribbean nation, the volunteer brigade encountered substantial damage, beginning with the airport, which had no electricity. It took them 24 hours to reach the town of Vicente Noble, which had been "heavily punished" by the hurricane.
Valdés noted that within a few days after beginning their work, busloads of patients began to arrive, even from remote regions, "because we want to be seen by Cuban doctors," they would say. The brigade was made up of surgeons, obstetricians, pediatricians, epidemiologists, nurses, and anesthesiologists.
Dotres also reported there are now four volunteer medical brigades in Central America as part of revolutionary Cuba's response to the social catastrophe precipitated by Hurricane Mitch. These include nearly 60 doctors, nurses, and technicians in Honduras and Guatemala, who are working under difficult conditions in remote areas where other doctors will not go. The disaster has left 30,000 people dead or missing, and the specter of epidemics is hovering over the region.
The Cuban government previously announced it was canceling Nicaragua's $50 million debt to Cuba. A few imperialist governments have since then announced they are writing off Nicaragua's debts to them, including Paris, which canceled a $70 million debt. The contrast between Cuba's gesture and that of much larger and immensely wealthier imperialist powers was not lost for many in Central America.
The Nicaraguan government, which has so far refused to accept the offer of Cuban volunteer doctors, publicly thanked both Havana and Paris for writing off its debt.
Here in Cuba, the move by their government has been popular among many working people, who are horrified by the social consequences of the destruction wrought in Central America and outraged by the callous response of Washington and other imperialist governments.
At the Havana airport, Health Minister Dotres also announced that the following day five Cuban medical specialists would accompany President René Préval of Haiti on his return from a state visit to Cuba. Their job is to conduct a joint study with the Haitian health ministry to prepare the way for a contingent of 200-300 Cuban doctors who are due to arrive in Haiti by the end of the year. This includes a group of family doctors who will be able to provide health care to between 50,000 and 100,000 people.
In a November 9 speech, Cuban president Fidel Castro outlined this proposed health plan. He said Cuba would send as many doctors and other medical personnel as needed to reduce Haiti's infant mortality rate from 135 to 35 per 1,000 live births - which he estimated could save the lives of 20,000 children in one year. Castro called on the governments of the most industrialized countries to finance this health plan. He said Cuba was equally prepared "to mobilize and send as many doctors as necessary for a health program in all of Central America."
What Haiti needs, Castro said, is "not invasions by soldiers but invasions by doctors, teachers, and millions of dollars for economic and social development. I believe this is a duty of humanity with regard to the countries of the Third World, especially those that are the most impoverished."