lifesaving gear
By Robert Bostelaar, The Ottawa CitizenSeptember 14, 2009
The doctor looked tired and a bit wary. Here she was at the end of what
must have been a long shift at the Policlinico Universitario Aguacate,
confronted by two obviously foreign visitors trying to press on her a
suitcase brimming with drugs and medical supplies.
She studied the letter explaining in Spanish that the contents were a
gift from Canada to the people of Cuba, looked again at the case and did
what any government employee would do. She stalled. From her long string
of Spanish, we picked out "mañana" and "ocho."
Sorry, doctor. Even if we could return tomorrow at 8 a.m., we'd be
hard-pressed to retrace our rented Hyundai's route to Aguacate
(Avocado), an inland farm town east of Havana. Road signs are rare on an
island that still fears invasion, and our rudimentary map made little
distinction between paved highways and axle-bending goat tracks.
Whether she understood, or whether she just grew weary of our arm-waving
gestures, the doctor offered us a cautious smile and an even more
cautious signature on a receipt. And with that, our second Not Just
Tourists suitcase had been delivered.
Our efforts to get off the beaten path notwithstanding, the Not Just
Tourists process couldn't be easier.
Collect a loaded suitcase from a nurse who will explain the program's
ins and outs, unload and repack it (so you can answer the "Did you pack
this bag yourself?" question honestly), carry it to your vacation spot
and present it to a clinic or hospital. Our first suitcase was accepted
with practised appreciation at a large clinic in Santa Cruz del Norte on
the coastal tourist track.
Nor could it be more efficient and cost-effective. You're going anyway,
and probably have some room in your baggage allowance (if you don't,
many carriers will waive the extra fees for these cases). Volunteers
collect and pack the supplies.
And the items you bring -- medicines, dressings, perhaps hospital linens
or dental hygiene gear -- all have been declared surplus. Some have
reached their expiry date (but still are considered safe for use),
others may have been returned by a patient's family but by regulation
cannot be returned to the hospital supply.
"We're rescuing things that would go to the landfill," explains Mary
Metcalfe, founder of the Not Just Tourists -- Ottawa group.
None will go to waste in Cuba, destination for most Not Just Tourists
cases. The target of a United States trade embargo for nearly half a
century, the communist island nation is short of even such basic
supplies as bandages and pain relief pills. Revenue from tourism and
resources has not made up for the Soviet aid that once sustained Cuba.
"The greatest need this year is for over-the-counter medicines and
vitamins for children," says Metcalfe.
Also in demand are asthma inhalers and glucometer test strips.
Respiratory problems and diabetes are common in Cuba.
Still, considering the shortages, the island has achieved a remarkably
effective health-care system, with doctors in every village, a low
infant mortality rate and high life-expectancies.
"We're treading a fine line in providing this, but respecting the pride
they have in their system," says Metcalfe, who established the Ottawa
group in 2005 after reading about Canada's original Not Just Tourists
program, founded by St. Catharines family doctor Ken Taylor and his
wife, Denise.
Other groups operate in Toronto, Montreal, Kingston, Calgary, Edmonton
and Vancouver. Each group is independent and may differ in its policies
and practices.
The program is intentionally low-key, collecting small quantities here
and dispatching them there. It doesn't approach pharmaceutical companies
for donations, for example, because the drug manufacturers already
support large-scale aid efforts.
Yet Not Just Tourists-Ottawa has already shipped more than 1,550
kilograms of medicines and supplies to Cuba and a range of other
countries, including Rwanda, Kenya and Bolivia. This winter alone it has
shipped 70 suitcases. The group has charitable status through the
Phoenix Community Works Foundation based in Toronto.
For vacationers, being part of Not Just Tourists is a chance to get away
from the resort and enrich a holiday -- and perhaps to assuage some of
the guilt of knowing that your destination's low standard of living
helps make possible your inexpensive winter getaway.
Some, too, may view it as a chance to make a statement about Canada's
views and values to a country that, even with Fidel's retirement,
remains in the Castro era of restrictions on free speech and travel for
its citizens. Here it's a personal expression of Canada's longstanding,
common-sense approach toward nudging Cuba to democracy.
Such motives, however, have no place in the philosophy of Not Just
Tourists, a group that could as easily be called Not About Politics.
"We are so apolitical," declares Metcalfe. "we want to help save lives.
That's the bottom line."
Robert Bostelaar is an editor at the Citizen.
- - -
if you go ...
What's in the bag: Contents vary depending on donations. Our cases
included wound dressings, Tensor bandages, Advil, surgical gloves,
hypodermic needles, urinary collection bags and tubing, post-heart
attack drugs, antiseptic wipes and Ensure nutritional supplements.
Where it comes from: Surplus medicines and supplies are provided by
hospitals, individual doctors (physicians' samples), hospices, clinics
and other sources. Some are bought by Not Just Tourists at cost from
pharmacies. Suitcases (and satchels and backpacks) are donated.
Where it goes: Cuba is the most popular destination, but Not Just
Tourists-Ottawa has sent cases to 17 countries. Travellers get a list of
hospitals and clinics near their destination but are free to seek out
other facilities in need.
Best before, and after: Not Just Tourists-Ottawa accepts most drugs --
though not liquid-based drugs for children -- up to three months past
their expiry date. Cuba's health ministry reportedly permits doctors to
use many drugs up to six months beyond expiry.
The legalities: The program does not accept narcotics or other
controlled drugs. Each suitcase contains a letter explaining the purpose
of the program, signed by a doctor who has examined the contents.
Problems at customs points are rare.
Cuba. Take an extra suitcase ... leave much-needed medicines and
lifesaving gear (14 September 2009)
http://www.canada.com/travel/Cuba+Take+extra+suitcase+leave+much+needed+medicines+lifesaving+gear/803852/story.html
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