Achieving an 80% survival rate in pediatric cancer patients seems—on the surface—like a pipe dream for Cuba. It is, admittedly, a significant figure for a developing country that is also the permanent target of a criminal blockade. However, the island's public health system has achieved this thanks to a structured program that reflects the political will of the government, as well as the solidarity and support of brave individuals who are not afraid to jump the genocidal fence.
Maintaining such high standards in this indicator is difficult for health professionals in Cuba, who have had to modify protocols, innovate, and grow, as they are denied access to technologies for timely treatment and first-line medications.
This was acknowledged yesterday by Dr. Carlos Alberto Martínez Blanco, head of the Cancer Control Section at the Ministry of Public Health, during the presentation of a donation from the Hatuey Project, an acronym derived from its English name, Health Advocates in Truth, Unity and Empathy.
This is the eighth time they have helped the island, noted coordinator Gloria La Riva, who, at the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP), together with a group of members of the Project, reported on a series of supplies and medications for pediatric cancer care at the Juan Manuel Márquez Hospital in Havana and the José Luis Miranda Hospital in Villa Clara.
She also announced that the solidarity aid with supplies will reach maternity homes, as they are well aware of the limitations imposed by the White House in an attempt to suffocate the people of the Antillean archipelago.
At the meeting, attended by the Hero of the Republic, Fernando González Llort, president of ICAP, La Riva assured that in Hatuey "we are committed to Cuba forever. We know that Cuba will not give in, it will not surrender, and neither will we. There are many people in the United States who support and love Cuba," he said.
The event was an opportunity to condemn the U.S. government for keeping the Caribbean nation on the "infamous and false list" of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism, and to reiterate that this project stands with the Cuban people in the fight against imperialism.
