Immediately after Hurricane Katrina struck cities along the U.S. Gulf Coast the Cuban government offered to send medical aid, with doctors ready September 2 to leave to fly to the region at a moment’s notice to provide free care to those most in need.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan responded to the offer at a September 8 press briefing. He stated, “When it comes to Cuba, we have one message for Fidel Castro: He needs to offer the people of Cuba their freedom.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack suggested that Cuban doctors would not be needed because of the “robust response from the American medical community.” He added that all options would be considered.

Florida Republican senator Melquiades Martinez, a Cuban-American, told the Miami Herald he was “grateful” for Cuba’s offer and that if doctors are needed the aid should be accepted. According to Cuban press sources a group of Latino lawmakers has also urged acceptance of the Cuban aid offer.

“We are anxiously waiting, every moment, for a positive response,” Dr. Jesus Satorre, a 33-year-old cardiologist, told the Associated Press. Satorre is part of the team of Cuban doctors waiting in Havana to aid the hurricane victims. “It would be marvelous to be elbow-to-elbow with the American doctors, helping these people, saving lives for the love of humanity,” he said. This would not be Satorre’s first international mission. He helped an international team of doctors tackle a major cholera crisis in Guinea-Bissau in 2002.

“We want to help because we saw on television how difficult things are in New Orleans,” Marcia Consuegra, a cardiologist who is also part of the team of Cuban doctors, told Reuters. She has been working in an area outside of Caracas, Venezuela.

The Cuban offer of aid has received widespread coverage, especially in Latin America, making it difficult for the U.S. administration to ignore. Excerpts of an address by Cuban president Fidel Castro to the doctors waiting to be deployed were carried on television broadcasts in Argentina and Nicaragua.

Havana announced it will form a standing contingent of medical specialists to aid any country following a catastrophe such as occurred in the Gulf Coast. It will be formed September 19 in conjunction with this year’s annual graduation of Cuban doctors.

Martinez also welcomed the offer by Venezuela’s government to send $1 million to the Red Cross and to ship 1 million barrels of oil above its normal monthly export to the United States.

Washington also rejected an offer from the Iranian government to send 20 million barrels of oil. The State Department’s executive secretary, Harry Thomas Jr., said the offer was rejected because it is conditional on Washington lifting economic sanctions against Iran.
 
 
Related articles:
Democrats, Republicans cover up responsibility for Gulf Coast disaster
Working people take own initiatives to confront social catastrophe
New Orleans: workers explain their resistance to evacuation by cops, troops
How workers in battle transform themselves
Working-class response to Gulf Coast disaster
Hurricane evacuees in Houston reject being shipped out to sea
How cops obstructed evacuation
Shelters: shoddy conditions for evacuees
Workers displaced by Katrina seek union jobs  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home