Aid to Haiti

Aid to Haiti: Cubans out of the Spotlight

Cuba, the first to provide medical help to the earthquake victims of Haiti, received little to no media coverage for their profound efforts. “Public health authorities say the Cubans were the first to set up medical facilities in the midst of the debris. Cubans also were the first to repair and restore the hospitals immediately after the deleterious earthquake struck.” Not only were Cubans present to assist Haiti subsequent to this devastating earthquake, but they were also there beforehand. “Haiti and Cuba sign a medical cooperation contract in 1998. Prior to the earthquake, 344 Cuban health professionals were already present in Haiti, providing primary care and obstetrical services for Haitians. However, in reporting on the international aid effort, Western media have generally not ranked Cuba high on the list of donor nations” (Fawthrop).

Even the agencies that mentioned Cuba’s efforts did not give them full credit. Though Cubans sent more than 350 doctors to Haiti, including 280 young Haitian doctors who graduated from Cuba, they were only credited for a small fraction of those physicians. One major international news agency's list of donor countries credited Cuba with sending over 30 doctors to Haiti, which is in fact a small percentage in comparison to the real figure that stands. “The final figure accounts for a combined total of 930 health professionals in all Cuban medical teams making it the largest medical contingent on the ground” (Fawthrop). While in Haiti, Cuban doctors have been coordinating medical facilities in three refurbished and five field hospitals, five diagnostic centers, with a total of twenty-two various care posts. These public health areas are aided by financial assistance from Venezuela. They are also functioning nine rehabilitation centers operated by nearly seventy Cuban physical therapists and rehab specialists, as well as the before mentioned Haitian medical personnel (Fawthrop).

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