Disaster and tragedy struck the people of
Guatemala as the Fuego volcano erupted on
Sunday, June 3, 2018. According to a CNN
report, “Towns were engulfed by thick, heavy
ash from Sunday’s sudden eruption. Hot
gases, rock and ash, raced down the volcano,
killing dozens, erasing hillside communities,
blocking roads and leaving behind steaming
debris that rescuers had trouble navigating.”
This was the Central American country’s
most severe volcanic eruption in 45 years.
Over 100 people were killed, and nearly 200
are missing, most presumed killed by the
devastating blast. Over 1,600 families lost
their homes.
The tragedy of that day was not only due
to the forces of mother nature. Evacuations
of communities were delayed due to
poor communication by Guatemala’s
National Coordination for Disaster
Reduction (Conred). BBC journalist Will
Grant reports, “The national institute
for seismology and volcanology says that
its conscience is clear, that it issued the
relevant warning in plenty of time. It claims
responsibility for any failings lies with the
civil emergency authority, Conred, which
didn’t then act on its warnings.”
Calls for aid and assistance for Guatemala
have rung out around the world. NGOs,
church groups, families, individuals and
governments have all pledged help to
Guatemala since June 3.
Cuba Arrived 20 Years Ago to Support
Guatemala
Cuba’s Granma newspaper published an
article titled, “Cuba arrived 20 years ago to
support Guatemala.”
According to Yuri Batista, the national
coordinator of the Cuban Medical Brigade
(BMC), Cuba has 431 specialists working
in 16 out of 20 departments in Guatemala
(departments are similar to states or
provinces), including many remote regions of
the country. The BMC has been supporting
these areas for two decades. Of the 431
Cubans currently in Guatemala, 245 are
doctors and 136 nurses. In particular, 39 are
members of the “Henry Reeve International
Medical Brigade,” which specializes in
providing medical relief in disaster zones.
Cuba’s “Henry Reeve International Medical
Brigade” is recognized world-wide and
recently won a prestigious international
award from the World Health Organization
(see Fire This Time Volume 11 Issue 6).
The first Cuban collaborators arrived
in Guatemala on November 5, 1998, to
aid victims of Hurricane Mitch. In the
past 20 years, Cuban medical specialists
have provided over 43 million medical
consultations in Guatemala alone.
Since 2006, Cuba’s Misión Milagro
(Operation Miracle) has helped 185,023
patients recover their eyesight in
Guatemala. Misión Milagro is a campaign
to remove cataracts and restore eyesight,
which Cuba has developed in partnership
with governments around the world. It was
initiated in 2004 by Comandante Fidel
Castro, leader of the Cuban revolution. As of
this spring, Misión Milagro has successfully
completed over 3 million eye operations in
34 countries.
Cuban Medical Specialists Around the
World
Cuba’s commitment to the people of
Guatemala reminds us that free and
universal healthcare should be recognized as
a fundamental right for all of humanity. As
the Director-General of the World Health
Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom
Ghebreyesus tweeted in April 2018, “Cuba
is an example for the world.”
Cuba’s solidarity does not begin and end
in Guatemala. According to the World
Health Organization Cuba’s “Henry Reeve
International Medical Brigade” has travelled
to 21 countries to help more than 3.5 million
people affected by emergency disasters and
epidemics, saving an estimated 80,000 lives
since its creation after Hurricane Katrina in
2005.
Similarly, 101 Cuban doctors just arrived
in Nairobi, Kenya on June 8 to begin a new
medical mission in partnership with the
government of that country.
Cuba’s healthcare initiatives are not only
for the world. The Cuban people also
benefit from a world-class revolutionary
internationalist preventative healthcare
system. Cuba’s infant mortality rate is 4.4
per 1,000 live births, the lowest rate in the
Americas (including that of the United
States: 5.8 and Canada: 4.5). At birth,
Cubans are expected to live almost 80
years, one of the longest average lifespans
in the Americas. Cuba also has the highest
ratio of skilled health professionals to the
population in the Americas, with 155 skilled
professionals to 10 000 people (including
that of the United States: 117.8 and Canada:
119.5). It is because Cuba has an abundance
of highly trained medical professionals that
the country can spread its revolutionary
internationalist medical workers all over the
world while maintaining high standards for
the Cuban people at home.
While the people of Guatemala are facing
a real challenge in healing and rebuilding
after the Fuego Volcano disaster, their
strong spirit and perseverance - together
with the generosity and determination of
Cuban medical professionals - shows us the
power of international solidarity and putting
human health and development first.
Follow Tamara Hansen on Twitter: @THans01
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