January 25, 2006
Today's Cuban Healthcare Post
Earlier this week, fidel castro offered to bring as many as 150,000 under-privileged Americans to the island prison for eye surgery. Yet another magnanimous gesture by the dictator aimed at showing just what a great guy he is.
But here's just a couple snapshots of the reality:
Operations suspended for lack of bloodSANTA CLARA, Cuba, January 24 (Guillermo Fariñas, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) - Various patients awaiting surgery in local hospitals were told to return home as the operations could not be done because of a lack of blood for transfusions.
Provincial radio station CMHW issued an appeal to listeners to donate blood to replenish the hospital supply.
Sources at ministry of health told Ismel Iglesias Martínez, vice president of the Independent Medical College of Villa Clara, that the shortage resulted from the supply of blood which accompanied Cuban doctors sent to Pakistan to treat earthquake victims.
But wait, there's more:
Blood given in exchange for breakfastSANTA CLARA, Cuba, January 24 (Feliberto Pérez, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) - Edrey Fleites and Ortendo Rodríguez decided to donate blood when they learned donors were given breakfast as well as time off from work.
"Real objective was to eat something that day and get permission to miss two days work without pay," Rodríguez said.
"I just accompanied Ortendo, but one of the technicians at the blood bank asked me if I also wanted to donate and I replied that for two pieces of bread and some ham I'd fill a 500 milliliter flask," said Fleites.
After eating breakfast, they asked when they could return and donate more blood in exchange for a meal. They were told in two weeks.
And there you have it. fidel castro uses his "doctors" as human bargaining chips in the hopes of garnering sympathy and support and trying to remain a high rolling player on the world stage.
The Cuban people, meanwhile, get screwed. Not only do they pay the price - with their health and well being, among other things - for castro's need to remain in the limelight, but their own government suppresses any information that proves just how dire their circumstances are.
Cuba. An island full of people willing to donate their blood for a meal.
Posted by Val Prieto at January 25, 2006 06:25 AM
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Comments
Two weeks? The Red Cross doesn't allow you to come back to donate blood for at least 6 weeks to two months. Val, what a sad story, the fact that they are doing this for a meal. Great story though
Posted by: La Ventanita at January 25, 2006 08:32 AM
Someone here at Babalu recently referred to castro as a vampire. How right they were.
Posted by: ziva at January 25, 2006 09:02 AM
Ziva how ironic, one of the billboards erected yesterday at the march portrayed Bush as a Vampire, and this was reiterated by Chavez in a speech in Bolivia.
Posted by: La Ventanita at January 25, 2006 09:10 AM
