The economic blockade for more than half a century by the successive governments of the United States (U.S.) against Cuba, besides causing loses for more than a billion dollars, also affects health and welfare of the Cuban people.
The Cuban Foreign Affairs minister recently presented a report on resolution 68/8 to the General National Assembly of the United Nations (U.N.) titled “The need to put an end to the economic, commercial and finance blockade imposed by the US against Cuba”, which expresses that siege covers all the spheres of life of Cuba including Public Health.
Since 55 years ago Washington keeps a bolt against Cuba which is more rigid every day, and its genocide characteristic expresses its tactical goal to provoke hunger and desperation in the Cuban population to withdraw its government.
The blockade is also qualified as immoral by the international community, and influences on the need to purchase drugs, reactive, spare parts for diagnose and treatment, tools and other consumables in far markets which unnecessarily increased the expenses in Health.
According to data from the report presented by Cuba at the UN, from April 2013 to June 2014, the Cuban Minister of Health values in 66.5 million dollars loses causes to this sensitive branch.
However, that figure do not show the intangible costs of the social and human transcendence of the danger caused to the population, due to the impossibility to have access to consumable of new technologies, knowledge and other vital resources for this important sector.
Among the difficulties in the referred period, the text mentions that from the National Center of Medical Genetics which was affected in the purchase of necessary equipments and reactive for the labs, which affects the development of the national program for diagnose, handling and prevention of genetic illnesses and congenital malformations.
Its Bio-Molecular Lab faces serious obstacles to acquire reactive coming from companies based in the US. Among them the SSCP gels and the Tension Kits with silver to diagnose illnesses like cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and others.
Likewise, the complete means of culturing AMNIOMAX used for the culturing of human cells of prenatal origin that guarantees chromosome studies to pregnant women older than 37 or having pathologies detected by the ultrasounds.
We could not purchase the software for the spectrum- flour meter with label Shimadzu because it has American software. This equipment detects illnesses by metabolism congenital mistakes.
Likewise, for the Neurologic and Neurosurgery Institute Doctor Rafael Estrada it was impossible to purchase an angiographer for the study of the vascular system in patients with neurological affectations, because it also had American components.
The National Groups and the Scientific Society of Allergy have not been able to purchase the necessary spare parts for chromatography equipments which were bought to Pharmacy Company.
For the Children Cardiology Hospital William Soler has been impossible to purchase nutrients of better quality like the aminosteryl, of special importance for the pre and post surgery treatment in undernourished patients with complex heart diseases, because it is only produced in the American ABBOT Labs.
Gastroenterology Institute faces an increase in the expenses for the purchase of drugs, indispensible in the therapy of chronic illnesses which invalidates children and adolescents, are were forced to import them in farther markets.
American, European and Japanese labs which produce retrovirals like Tenofovir (to treat Hepatitis B) and Telaprevir (to treat Hepatitis C) fear penalties by the US if they trade with Cuba.
Electro Medicine National Center cannot buy directly spare parts and accessories for the Multi-parametrical monitors and other equipments having Phillip label, models MP-20 and Heartstart XL, respectively because they are Americans.
At the same time, the Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Institute does not have the tridimensional anatomic map equipment no fluoroscopical produced by the American companies Carto-Biosense and Saint-Jude.
This does not allow making surgical removals of complex arrhythmias, which causes expenses between 15, 000 and 18, 000 Euros per patient (without including the ticket and accommodation), for treatment abroad (Italy).
Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital cannot purchase the KTP green light for the treatment in patients with prostatic hyperplasia.
The threat with fines of millions of dollars to the producers of the scientific advances makes the prices for their purchase an obstacle for the Cuban health authorities.
The Hematology and Immunology Institute reports an annual average of 72 leukemia diagnoses in children in Cuba. The enzyme L-Asparagines coming from Escherichia coli that causes allergy in several patients is used in the treatment.
However, other alternatives like the modified enzyme by polietilenglicol or that from Erwinia carotovora bacteria are forbidden for Cuba because they are from the US.
To MediCuba Company that imports and exports medical products have been cancelled several supplies in this period. This has cost additional expenses periods with lack of some products.
By means of supplier CARIMED CANADA we could purchase from American producers INTEGRA NEUROSCIENCE, the derivations to treat hydrocephaly. However, since the end of 2013 they suspended the delivers to Cuba due to regulations of the US Treasury Department affecting the execution of the Mother-Child Assistance Program.
On its part, the German supplier MAQUET CRITICAL CARE, which was forced by the US Treasury Department, suspended the delivery of servo-humidification used for seriously ill patients’ ventilation either for adults or children, because they had American components.
This situation has forced to look for suppliers of similar products in other markets, evaluate samples and register products so we can stand the lack of supplies to the services for more than six months.
(Taken from Cubadebate with information from PL)
