Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade in Haiti

[Mika]

Source: Invasor.cu

Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade in Haiti
http://www.invasor.cu/index.php/es/component/content/article/28--cuba/3096-henry-reeve-cuban-medical-brigade-in-haiti-

Members of the Henry Reeve Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics are in some Haitian localities to take care of the victims of the earthquake that took place on Tuesday.

The medical brigade, which has experience in China, Pakistan, Guatemala, Indonesia and Bolivia, joined the rest of the health staff that was located there, which is helping citizens since the beginning of the tragedy.

Cuban authorities sent medicines, saline solutions and blood serum, food and provisions as part of the solidarity aid.

More than one thousand patients were seen and 19 operations were carried out up until Wednesday afternoon, reported Cuban Television.

Read more: http://www.invasor.cu/index.php/es/component/content/article/28--cuba/3096-henry-reeve-cuban-medical-brigade-in-haiti-

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There are 15 thousand members in Cuba at the ready to help if asked.

The Cuban Henry Reeves Brigade (named after a heroic American doctor who helped Cuba's independence movement) is the same group that offered its emergency disaster services to the victims of Katrina in the SE USA, but their offers of much needed help went unheeded and ignored by the US admin.

[Botany]

1. How many people could they have helped after Katrina?

n/t

[Kevin Cloyd]

7. Not only were Cubans

prevented from helping in New Orleans so were several caravans of sport fishermen towing their bass boats. A modern bass boat can top speeds of 60 miles per hour, carry 10 people at a time and would have been far far far FAR more efficient in transporting New Orleans residents stranded on their rooftops to safety that the lumbering Coast Guard helicopters.

Bush wanted New Orleans to die and the suffering was part of the process.

Did you know that during the entire time America watched the suffering at the Superdome you could have driven there? The only reason there was not relief supplies trucked in to the Dome was because Federal authorities prevented it.

Gitmo would be an excellent staging area for Haitian relief given the limited air and port facilities in Haiti. Will Obama offer to use it?

[northzax]

21. Actually, and I understand your frustration, but you're being misleading here

First off, Guantanamo Bay wouldn't be much of an airlift staging area, for a couple of reasons. The airfield isn't all that great, and there's not a lot of room to store stuff or house people. This is why the US is sending a carrier battle group. Which alone has the airlift capacity of many nations.

Second: there's a reason all those private boats were turned away from New Orleans. You really don't want just anyone wandering into a disaster area to try and help. Navigating a boat around a flooded city isn't easy or particularly safe. (yes, I've done it) everyone who goes into a disaster area just increases the number of people who may need to be rescued. A bass boat hits a submerged object and sinks? There are a few more people who need a chopper out. The first rule of a disaster like Katrina is to figure out who's in there and how to get them out, not add people. This is not to demean the valour of those who wanted to help, those are good people. What was shameful was how long the organized response took.

[Mika]

24. Cuba's Henry Reeve Brigade isn't just "anybody". They are well trained emergency rescue experts.

Cuba (actually, the Cuban Ministry of Health from who's membership forms the Brigade) is hailed around the world (except in the USA) for their heroic and superb efforts at disaster relief.


Viva Cuba!

[northzax]

25. true, but the Henry Reeve Brigade

didn't actually exist during Katrina, it was actually founded AFTER, and i response to Katrina (September 21, 2005 to be precise)

and frankly, while it may well have been good pr to accept the generous offer of help after Katrina, a lack of doctors wasn't the problem. the Brigade doesn't have helicopters or boats, they have doctors, and good ones. but the US has plenty of doctors and medical personnel, that wasn't the problem in New Orleans.

[Ghost Dog]

26. Also: (and I warmly understand what you're saying here)

that lease on Guantánamo was negotiated on unreasonable terms (remember the Maine); it is Cuban territory; it is well past time good-willed US people should get their government the hell out.

[Kevin Cloyd]

27. Bass boats

A. Bass boats are filled with so much floatation that it is virtually impossible to sink one. B. The sportsmen were traveling in Caravans so they would have been able to assist each other as needed. C. Yes, I did mention that bass boats can go fast. They also can go r...e...a...l s...l...o...w and that's how anybody with more brains that our 43rd President would operate one in flooded conditions, let alone, flooded urban conditions.

D. Bush wanted New Orleans to die.

As to the status of Gitmo's airfield, I assumed it was capable of handling current U.S. military transport aircraft and that the port at Gitmo was operational. Looking at my world map the distance between Gitmo and Port Au Prince looks to be about the same as the distance between Miami and Daytona Beach so using Gitmo as a staging area seems possible, if less than perfect.

CNN is currently reporting that a shortage of jet fuel is limiting flights in and out of Port Au Prince. Landing airplanes at airfields close to Haiti, refueling them so they can fly in and out of Haiti without refueling, the having them return for refueling to get them back to where they came from seem a logical temporary solution to the problem.

[Imajika]

2. Wonder how many will defect?

I hear a lot of the doctors Castro sent to Venezuela have defected.

[MineralMan]

3. Defect to Haiti? I don't think so.

Did it occur to you that they may be trying to help?

Good for the Cubans to send teams to Haiti.

[MineralMan]

4. "You hear" what "some say..."

Links?

[AlphaCentauri]

5. Why do taxpayers have to pay for doctors education

if we can get them from countries where they get free education.

[ronnie624]

16. Most, by far,

continue to provide health care to the Venezuelan working class and poor who cannot afford to see Venezuelan doctors. The service they provide is not diminished by the few who defect.

[carla]

28. I imagine

you "hear" lots of things...:+

[murray hill farm]

6. Well Mika!

If we didn't hear it from you and hear the rapid response from Cuba, we would not hear it at all. I have been following the news on this and wondered about the level of help from Cuba, but of course it is never mentioned.

[niyad]

8. k and r--thank you for posting this. I am not surprised that their medical teams are already there.

when I think about how the cubans offered to help during katrina, and were ignored, it still infuriates me.

[DFW]

9. This might be a perfect opportunity

Namely, to coordinate operations with the Cubans, and use it it as a door-opener to wider contacts with them in general.
Waiting to have a ping-pong match with them might take longer.

[Ghost Dog]

10. Continuing, meanwhile...

CUBA, October 1, 2009. Former US President Bill Clinton, now appointed as UN special envoy to Haiti, praised the support given by Cuba and Venezuela to this Caribbean nation to help palliate its precarious social and economic situation.

...

Clinton said that the last time he was in Haiti he inquired about what was being done in terms of prevention prior to the hurricane season and he learned that “(Venezuelan president) Hugo Chavez had donated 87 million dollars.”

...

An article published by Radio Habana Cuba’s website states that, up to date, over 2100 Cuban health professionals have helped the Haitian people since 1998.

This humanitarian force has treated, in a decade, over six million people for free, mostly at their own settlements, regardless of how inhospitable and remote the places could be.

Under the Cubans’ care, over 110,000 children were born and 228,000 people underwent surgeries, which has translated in an improvement of health levels in places where never before a doctor had stayed permanently.

Frequently the Cuban specialists are the only ones available in a country where over 80 percent of those with a university degree have emigrated.

...

Meanwhile, 554 Haitians have graduated as doctors at the Santiago de Cuba Caribbean Medical Faculty and have returned to practice in their country. They, along with the Cuban doctors, render their services in 27 Haitian towns and villages.

/... http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=2584

[AlphaCentauri]

11. Attention CNN, NBC, ABC, ...n/t

[AlphaCentauri]

12. L American countries rush aid to Haiti

A Venezuelan plane was among the first to touch down in Port-au-Prince with 14 tons of relief supplies and 39 rescuers.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said it was the first aid flight from his country, hinting there would be more into the Caribbean island state.

Two military planes took off from Brazil with 21 tons of relief supplies while the Brazilian government announced the country was providing Haiti with an emergency fund of 15 million U.S. dollars.

Chile was sending overnight a plane loaded with 12 tons of relief supplies along with doctors and rescuers with specially trained sniff dogs.

Peru is to send in 50 tons of relief supplies while Ecuador is to dispatch to Haiti dozens of rescuers.

Costa Rica is sending in 50 rescuers, mostly doctors and engineers.

Panama has also contributed 22 rescuers to the international effort as Nicaragua is flying two planes to fetch in international rescuers and their equipment along with 10 Nicaraguan rescuers.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said what in need was immediate actions of humanitarian aid for the Haitian people and government.

Bolivia is preparing to donate blood and food to Haiti while Cuban leader Raul Castro expressed readiness to join the international rescue effort with Cuban doctors and medicines.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/14/content_12808090.htm

[northzax]

18. Good. Nice to see everyone is chipping in

I'd be suprised if there is a country in the hemisphere NOT doing something. But let's not kid ourselves, the US will contribute more by several multiples than the rest of the hemisphere combined (as well we should, since we are richer and more capable) this shouldn't be a race to see who can throw the most stuff at Haiti to make ourselves look good. After the first 24 hours, what matters most is coordination and effective use of resources. Nobody should be overtly congratulated for a plane load of stuff, frankly that's the least a country can do. Helping Haiti right now isn't a congratulatory move, it's our duty as humans.

[dipsydoodle]

13. K & R

:thumbsup:

[ensho]

14. I knew Cuba would be one of the first to get there with help

you can count on Cuba to help

[JimWis]

15. K&R

[RamboLiberal]

17. Someone needs to alert the Ditto Heads - Limpballs told them Cuba sent nada

RUSH: Oh, this is what he lives for. He lives for serving those in misery. Now, don't misunderstand here, folks. I don't have the whole press conference, but I wonder did he apologize for America before acknowledging we are the only people on earth that can possibly help 'em out down there in any significant way? By the way, I've checked it out, Cuba has offered nothing. Venezuela has offered nothing. They have nothing to offer. (interruption) Venezuela is going to send 30 people?

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_011310/content/01125106.guest.html

[ronnie624]

19. What a filthy liar he is.

Venezuela was one of the first to respond with emergency aid, with much more vowed to come.

[AlphaCentauri]

23. Thats the voice of many anti socialism americans

telling everybody pure BS

[EFerrari]

20. It was pointed out that while other countries were kicking out Haitian refugees

Cuba was welcoming them and training them as doctors -- Amy's show this morning. :hi:

[unapatriciated]

22. k&r

[Vidar]

29. Bravo Cuba!