Chernobil, Programa humanitario cubano

GRANMA DAILY, Friday 26 March 2010

Ukrainian Lyuda Bilich traveled to Cuba with the second flight of children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Today, already healed, happy and thankful for all Cuba has done for her and for thousands of other children victims of the nuclear nightmare, she shares with Granma some of her views on this humane medical care program.

Why Cuba?

I was twelve when I came to Cuba for the first time. Due to the radiation caused by the Chernobyl accident, I was suffering from serious thyroid disorders. Then in Ukraine they told us about the Cuban program, which offered the possibility of being healed. I was brought here for an initial stay of one month and a half.

LYUDA BILICH AND HER SONS KOLYA AND VALIK, HAPPY TO RECEIVE A NEW DOSE OF HOPE

And what are your memories from those days?

Almost twenty years have passed since I first came here together with other children on the second flight, in December 1990. And yet, I still remember everything: the Cuban children, the doctors, the facilities. I remember a nurse, Kenia, her humaneness.

What impressed you the most?

The doctors always treated us very affectionately, with a smile on their faces. With them I felt as if I were with my family. That cannot be forgotten.
In Ukraine I had difficulty growing, and then I started to have problems with my thyroid gland. I did not see well and even lost my eyebrows.
In Cuba they cured me completely.
 
Then you grew up, you married and had three children…?

When I left Cuba I was cured. I felt good and thank God I have not had any serious problems. My children were born healthy, and they have grown.

TARARÁ IS A CITY FOR ALL, AS THESE LITTLE UKRAINIANS SEEM TO CORROBORATE, RADIATING HAPPINESS AS THEY PLAY IN BACKYARDS AND GARDENS.
 
With your new, healthy family, did you forget what happened in Chernobyl?

I have never forgotten Chernobyl. Chernobyl is always with us. Where I live there are still children who lose their hair after they are born. I have always been very thankful to Cuba, because after I came here and was treated I even stopped taking thyroid hormones, so well did I feel. Now, in this checkup, they have studied me again. In Cuba I will pick up another dose of health. I am getting a new dose of hope, with hugs and smiles like the ones I received twenty years ago.
I have told my children about Cuba, that I think the best doctors are here, and that I trust those doctors.

How would you define the program?

Cuba gives people hope, the hope that many Ukrainians had lost. It is like the last chance, because all mothers want health for our children, and we are happy that here they recover their health and feel ever better. Tarará is a city for all.

I asked Lyuda’s sons Kolya, 11, and Valik, 8, present during the interview, what they have liked best during this first visit to Cuba. The elder is quick to state his preference for computer lessons, and the younger, Valik, says, “Of course, Tarará beach”.

With a big heart

“We continue to define this task as a program of hope. Those of us who share our daily life with the Ukrainian patients, can feel that their mothers and other relatives have put all of their hopes on us.
 
And that means that they put their hopes on the Cuban people and value very highly every inch of improvement in a child’s health, and are thankful for the devotion of doctors and workers and their commitment to bringing health and happiness to all patients.

DOCTOR JULIO MEDINA, DIRECTOR, AND DOCTOR XENIA LAURENTI DILMÉS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

“There are even cases of infantile cerebral palsy (ICP), who we know will not have a definitive cure, but our doctors and personnel have a big heart, and do all they can so that those little ones have at least some improvement, and when that is the case we can see their parents’ joy. We habilitate patients’ functions and provide them with a better life. Children who were isolated in a room in their homes now have a social life, and they receive education. Teachers visit them in their houses. And they also interact with other children, they play together, or recite a poem. That is rehabilitation: reaching a little further. That is hope.”

GRANMA DAILY, Elson Concepción Pérez, 26 March 2010, elson.cp@granma.cip.cu.

It was 29 March 1990. At José Martí international airport in Havana everything was ready to welcome the first group of children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, who were about to arrive to receive medical assistance.

When the plane turned off its engines and the exit door opened, all looked in amazement and anticipation. There was Fidel, who had come to welcome the children and assure them that in Cuba they would always find the solidarity of our revolutionary people and government.

FIDEL WELCOMED THE 139 CHERNOBYL CHILDREN ARRIVING IN CUBA ON THE FIRST FLIGHT, TWENTY YEARS AGO.
 
The arrival of the first 139 children, who suffered from a variety of oncohematological conditions, was the start of one of the most humane endeavors recorded by history.
 
Today, this idea of Fidel’s and his permanent presence, reaffirmation of his humaneness, are recognized worldwide.
 
Twenty years later, 24 471 patients, of whom 20 419 are children, have received medical care in Cuba, where they have had free access to the most advanced achievements of medical science, and to the humaneness of men and women, doctors, psychologists, nurses, assistants, teachers and sports trainers.

Cuba was the only country to organize a mass, free of charge integral health program for the care of those affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
The children live in the former school city of Tarará, some 20 kilometers east of the capital, in a neighborhood near the beach, where they receive medical care, attend a school with Ukrainian teachers and participate in sports and cultural activities.
 
A team of Cuban doctors are posted in Ukraine, selecting the cases that will travel to the island.

Six bone marrow transplants, two kidney transplants, 16 cardiovascular operations and more than 600 neurological and orthopedic operations have been performed on affected patients in Cuban hospitals.

More than 300 of the patients traveling to Cuba had hematological conditions, and among them 124 suffered from leukemia.
 
Several health institutions have been involved in the successful development of the program. Among them are pediatric hospitals William Soler, Juan M. Márquez, Centro Habana and Pedro Borrás, as well as Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital, Frank País Orthopedic Complex, the Institute of Hematology, and the Pediatric Cardiological Center, where 14 heart operations were performed on children with complex congenital malformations. Also the Center for Radiation Protection and Hygiene.

- POLITICAL ACTIVITY

- CULTURAL PERFORMANCE

- WAITING FOR LEONID KUCHMA´S  VISIT

- ARRIVAL OF  LEONID  KUCHMA

Articles published in cuban newspaper´s

- Permanent presence of Fidel’s idea, GRANMA DAILY, Elson Concepción Pérez, 26 March 2010, elson.cp@granma.cip.cu.

- A new dose of hope , GRANMA DAILY, 26 March 2010.

- Cuba a hope for Chernobyl children, various authors, Juventud Rebelde, 27 March 2010.

- Chernobyl children, Irene Izquierdo, 27 March 2010, Tribuna de la Habana.

 – More than 25 thousand Chernobyl patients have been treated in Cuba, Prensa Latina, 30 March 2010.

- Fidel and Raúl Castro decorated by Ukrainian President Yanukovych for assistance with consequences of Chernobyl accident, Juan Luis Aguilera, CUBADEBATE, 27 MARCH 2010.

- Cuba and Fidel will be remembered forever in Ukraine, Elson Concepción Pérez, GRANMA DAILY, 30 March 2010, elson.cp@granma.cip.cu.

- Cuba is the island of freedom and human rights, Elson Concepción Pérez, GRANMA DAILY, 1 April 2010.

- Statement by Ukrainian mothers, GRANMA DAILY, 2 April 2010.

– Firman Cuba y Ucrania acuerdo de cooperación médica, Cubadebate, 2 de abril de 2010.

- Ukrainian government and people praise Cuban care to Chernobyl children,
Elson Concepción Pérez, Granma daily, Havana, Thursday 2 April 2010.

- Raúl meets with Leonid Kuchma, special envoy of the Ukrainian president, CUBADEBATE, 2 APRIL 2010.

by Lourdes Pérez Navarro, Granma daily, 4 November 2009,
lourdes.p@granma.cip.cu

In today’s globalized world, where poverty and illiteracy grow, drug use and violence expand, citizen security is ever scantier, interethnic conflicts worsen, food supplies contract and pollution pervades the environment, Cuba ensures protection of the rights of children and adolescents.

The above was stated yesterday by Juan Escalona Reguera, Attorney General of the Republic of Cuba, on opening the Third International Meeting for the Legal Protection of Children’s Rights, an event that will bring together lawyers, psychologists and other professionals from 20 countries at Havana’s Conference Center until next Friday.

Escalona made emphasis on the need that States ensure the protection of children and adolescents through the adoption of social and material measures.

The statistics on this population sector provided by prestigious international institutions are alarming: more than 120 million do not attend school, 11 million die of preventable causes before they reach the age of five, 150 million suffer from malnutrition, tens of millions work in unbearable exploitation conditions, and others are exposed to war or to various forms of violence, human trafficking and child prostitution.

The reality of Cuban children is totally different, said the Attorney General, for the State ensures their health and education, among other rights. As an example he mentioned the free, universal administration of vaccines protecting children from more than 10 diseases.

He also denounced the repeated violations of the rights of families, particularly the children of our Five compatriots unjustly incarcerated in the United States for fighting terrorism, for whom he demanded justice and immediate liberation.

On speaking at the meeting, Ms. Rosa María Ortiz, Vice President of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, called for compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, whose second decade of existence will be celebrated next 20 November.

Monday, 20 July 2009, by Jorge Marques, Infomed

The Cuban program of medical care to children affected by the Chernobyl accident was granted the space it deserves at the International Solidarity Days organized by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP.

At the event, held in Havana from 14 – 24 July, Program Manager Dr. Julio Medina pointed out the essentially humanitarian nature of the program and remarked that over 20 thousand persons have been cared for during more than 20 years of intense health work.

Before the audience gathered that afternoon at Casa de la Amistad (Friendship House), Dr. Medina explained that children mainly from Ukraine (and also from Russia and Byelorussia) have received specialized health care, not only at the hospital set up in Tarara, but also at other prestigious health institutions in Cuba.

The Cuban program of medical care to children affected by the Chernobyl accident was granted the space it deserves at the International Solidarity Days organized by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP.He reminisced about how the program remained active under the difficult circumstances of the special period, and pointed out that health professionals jointly with the Cuban population provided medical assistance, love, and even the bread that was eaten those days.

He also referred to the hard struggle waged against death for two decades, and commented that among the most outstanding rewards of such an effort are, in the first place, the deep thankfulness to Cuba and to Fidel expressed by patients and relatives alike.

The meeting, which was attended by Tarara health personnel, patients and relatives from Ukraine involved in the program, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Havana, and members of the Cuba–Russia and Cuba–Nordic Countries Friendship Associations, included the presentation of the documentary Chernobil en nosotros (Chernobyl in us), by journalist and film maker Daisy Gomez.

The Cuban program of medical care to children affected by the Chernobyl accident was granted the space it deserves at the International Solidarity Days organized by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP.The documentary is a moving display of the tragedy lived in various parts of the former Soviet Union and other regions from the European continent.

The film accurately combines images, sounds and testimonies, where death seems to be an all-destructive force, but is eventually defeated. A light of hope shines in a small Caribbean country.

In more than one instance, the tenacity of the health personnel defeats death, making it possible for the dreams of a child to be palpable reality at present.

This is evident in the dialogue between two youngsters at the end of the documentary: one is culminating dentistry career (about to graduate at present), and the other one, studies English.  When they arrived some years ago their condition was critical. But now they talk to one another as they peacefully stroll along the beach of Tarara…

The meeting was presided over by ICAP Vice-President Elio Gámez, who also made the presentation.

The Director of the Europe Division at ICAP, comrade Holmedo Pérez, made a presentation about solidarity with Cuba in Europe.

The meeting was also attended by:
• José Rosado, Director of the Europe Division at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment;
• Santiago Pérez, Deputy Director of the Europe Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX);
• Dr. Carlos Dotres, first co-ordinator of the Chernobyl program;
• Sergio López, former Cuban ambassador to Ukraine, founder of the Program;
• Katrien Demuinck, co-ordinator of solidarity with the Five Heroes in Europe, and
• José R. Fernández Vega, Director of Bohemia magazine and president of the group of friendship with Ukraine in the Cuban Parliament.

Brigadier General Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, President of the Cuba–Russia Friendship Association, delivered the closing speech.

Понедельник, 20 июля, 2009 года, автор: Хорхе Ноэль Маркес, Инфомед.

Кубинская программа медицинского интегрального обслуживания детей пострадавших от Чернобыльской аварии была заслуженно отмечена в рамках чествования Дней международной солидарности проводимого Кубинским институтом дружбы народов (ICAP).

При проведении в Гаване данного мероприятия, доктор Хулио Медина, главный координатор данной программы, подчеркнул ее существенно гуманитарный характер и обозначил, что на протяжении 20 лет напряженной работы было предоставлено медицинское обслуживание 20 тысячам пострадавших.

В присутствии обширной аудитории посетившей в этот день Дом дружбы, доктор Хулио Медина отметил что детям, в основном украинским (хотя тоже лечились на Кубе дети из Белоруссии и России), была предоставлена специализированная медицинская помощь не только в Педиатрической больнице Тарара, но также в других престижных медицинских учреждениях Кубы.

Напомнил как продолжала развиваться программа в тяжеллых условиях так называемого «специального периода» и указал на то как медицинские работники совместно с кубинским народом представили пострадавшим медицинскую помощь, сердечную заботу, и делились, как говорят, даже своим скудным куском хлеба.

Также, подчеркнул, как на протяжении двух десятилетий ведется тяжелая борьба со смертью и выразил что наиболее видным полученным удовлетворением, в первую очередь, является глубокое чувство благодарности по отношению к Кубе, в отношении Фиделя, больных лечившихся здесь и ихних родственников.

В рамках данного мероприятия где присутствовали: медицинский персонал Педиатричнской больницы Тарара: украинские пациенты, находящиеся на лечении в рамках программы, и соопровождающий персонал; представители дипломатического корпуса акредитированного в Гаване, члены кубинско-русского союза дружбы, и союза дружбы Куба-Северные страны, был представлен документальный фильм «Чернобыль в наших серцах» (Chernobil en nosotros), продюсера, журналистки и ведущая телевидения, Дейси Гомез.

Данный фильм является трогательным примером трагедии прожитой в различных районах бывшего Советского Союза и в других районах европейского континента.

Продюсер удачно комбинирует в данном фильме: изображения, звуковое сопровождение и интервью, где кажется; что смерть сметает все, но это не совсем так… В маленькой стране Карибского басейна, рождается луч надежды.

В более чем одном случае медицинская настойчивость побеждает смерть и становится возможным превращение мечты какого.либо мальчика или девочки в удивительную реальность на данный момент.Это подтверждается диалогом двух молодых ребят под конец фильма: один из них заканчивает на Кубе стоматологическую специальность (на грани окончания), а другой учит английский язык. Несколько лет назад они приехали на Кубу в тяжелом состоянии здоровья, а сейчас ведут нормалный образ жизни, беседуют за приятной прогулкой по пляжу Тарара…

Открытие мероприятия произвел Заместитель председателя Кубинского института дружбы народов (ICAP), Элило Гамез.
Заведующий Управлением «Европа» Кубинского института дружбы народов (ICAP), Олмедо Перез, представил информацию о движениях солидарности с Кубой в Европе.

Присутствовали также:
Хосе Розадо, Заведующий управлением «Европа» Министерства внешней торговли и инностранной инвестиции;
Сантьяго Перез, Зам. заведующего управлением «Европа» Министерства внешней торговли и инностранной инвестиции;
Доктор Карлос Дотрес, первый координатор программы «Чернобыль»;
Сергио Лопез, бывший посол Кубы в Украине, основатель программы;
Kатриэн Деуминик, координатор движений солидапности в Европе за освобождение кубинских Пяти Героев осужденных в США;
Хосе Р. Фернандез Вега , директор журнала «Bohemia» и председатель Группы дружбы с Украиной кубинского парламента.

Генерал бригадьер, Арнальдо Тамалье Mендез, Председатель Кубинско – российского союза дружбы выступил с заключительными словами по закрытию мероприятия.