The Spanish organization Open Arms carried out its second delivery of humanitarian aid to Cuba this Wednesday (2). The donation, intended for the Juan Manuel Márquez Children’s Hospital and the Dr. Abelardo Buch López Nephrology Institute in Havana, includes medical supplies, powdered milk and other essential supplies, as well as around three tons of equipment and supplies for hemodialysis.
“When you are here and see the situation, the context, with so little that health professionals are working, you realize how important it is to be able to bring help”, said Óscar Camps, founder and director of Open Arms, during the handover ceremony, held in the lobby of the pediatric hospital.
This is the second Open Arms mission in Cuba. At the end of July, the vessel carried seven tons of aid and equipment intended, among other objectives, to strengthen the energy autonomy of the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital.
During the delivery of donations, Camps toured the intensive care unit, which runs on electricity generated by donated solar systems. The delivery takes place amid the deterioration of the Cuban health system, in a context marked by energy suffocation imposed by the United States against Cuba.
“What we hope with our actions is to see if they embarrass others: other organizations, other administrations, other governments,” said Camps, who said the mission will be a success if it succeeds “even if it’s saving one life.”
According to official calculations, the energy blockade against Cuba has caused more than 16,000 patients requiring radiotherapy and approximately 12,000 receiving chemotherapy to suffer periodic interruptions in their treatments due to shortages of medicines and power cuts.
“We know the value of a life, how important it is to save a single life. All lives matter,” said Camps.
Founded in 2015 by rescuer Óscar Camps, Open Arms is a Spanish non-governmental organization and humanitarian foundation based in Catalonia. Its work began with sending rescue vessels to the Mediterranean Sea to help migrants and refugees in vulnerable situations.
In recent years, in addition to rescue operations, the organization has developed several humanitarian missions to provide medical and logistical assistance to regions affected by conflicts or disasters.
“We are very small, but we are very persistent and we move forward. And I believe that we will meet again very soon, with another load”, assured the founder of Open Arms.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
