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The HumaCuba FoundationCuba Travel Plan supports the HumaCuba foundation. The foundation ships medical supplies to Cuba in an effort to improve health care for Cubans (and visitors). At first glance it may seem as if health care in Cuba is well organised. All Cubans receive free health care and doctors are schooled at the same level as European doctors. However, the quality of care in Cuba isn't the same as what we're accustomed to. Basic medical supplies are either very outdated or simply not available. Common medicine such as aspirin or cough syrup is scarce in Cuba. Cuban hospitals not only have very limited supplies of medicine, they're also in dire need of beds, mattresses, wheel chairs, oxygen equipment and other necessary inventory.So, although Cuban doctors have the necessary know-how... they're hardly able to treat Cuban patients because of the lack of equipment and medicine. HumaCuba supplies several different hospitals with much needed equipment and medicine. This gives Cuban doctors the chance to do what they do best without having to take their know-how to other countries. You can help support this Cuba charity project by agreeing to donate a one-off amount of £12 to the foundation. |
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How does HumaCuba help? The main objective of The Foundation for Medical Humanitarian Aid for Cuba, also known as HumaCuba, is to provide medical supplies to Cuban hospitals. Medical equipment is shipped to Cuba in sea containers and once it reaches Cuba, the Ministry of Health determines where the supplies are needed the most. After each shipment of medical equipment, HumaCuba provides on-the-job training to hospital staff, teaching them how to use and maintain the equipment. This helps to ensure that equipment donated by this Cuba charity project is used properly and maintained well. Medical professionals at Cuban hospitals also receive other useful IT related items from HumaCuba such as computers and disks/ cd-roms with (medical) information. |
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Where does Humacuba help?The foundation provides support to Havana, the western region of Pinar del Rio and eastern Cuba. They support such hospitals such as Frank Pais, National, Guane and Pinar. The Frank Pais Hospital is an orthopaedic surgery hospital with a capacity to help up to 1200 patients. Patients are not the only ones who benefit from the equipment donated to the hospital - patients of local area doctors also use the donated equipment. After receiving a referral from their doctor, patients can borrow a wheelchair or other medical aids. Guane is a typical example of a rural Cuban hospital with a capacity to treat up to 100 patients at a time. This hospital was in desperate need of help from the HumaCuba Foundation. Medical supplies donated to the hospital have drastically reduced the amount of time patients actually have to spend in a hospital beds. Increased patient mobility has without a doubt helped the hospital to send patients home quicker, therefore freeing more beds to help other patients as well.Living conditions for the 150 inhabitants of a Pinar del Rio nursing home have also improved significantly since the arrival of wheelchairs, walkers and other medical supplies donated by the foundation. The nursing home staff has commented on how the elderly now spend less time in bed and more time socialising with each others because of their increased mobility due to this Cuba charity project. |
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Plans for the future In the next few years, HumaCuba has plans to donate several shipments of medical supplies to Cuba enabling hospitals and nursing homes to make tangible improvements to their facilities and services. Not only will (medical) supplies be donated, the foundation also plans to donate (medical) know-how.The following Cuba charity project action-items have been scheduled: - Increased contact with several different hospitals (additional training for technicians and emphasis on recycling and repair of medical equipment). - Renovation of Havana's Children's Hospital (children from all across Cuba are treated here). - Renovation of the kitchen in the Guane Hospital. - Streamlining transport of equipment donations (through use of a van or truck). If you would like to know more about HumaCuba, have a look at: www.humacuba.com |
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You can support this project by agreeing to donate £12 when booking your trip. Any additional donation you would like to make to this Cuba charity project would be greatly appreciated, just let us know what you would like to donate in the comment area of the quote request form. The donation will be added to the price of your trip and will then be deposited into the foundation's bank account. Naturally any kind of donation is completely up to you and there are no obligations to donate. We fully understand if you wish to keep your holiday in Cuba and your charitable donations separate. By providing you with information regarding this project our only goal is to give you a choice; we do not aim to create any moral obligations.