How the Hatuey Project Is Saving Lives of Children in Cuba

The Hatuey Project delivered vital cancer medicines to Havana’s pediatric hospital – ensuring treatments aren’t interrupted. Pediatric oncology in Cuba faces shortages that cost lives. This is how one group is fighting back.

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This is killing children. The U.S. policy of blockade, and most intensely, the so-called false [designation of Cuba as] a state sponsor of terrorism, Gloria La Riva, Coordinator of Hatuey Project said.

We brought many cytostatic medicines or cancer meds, We brought Cisplatin, We brought Carboplatin,  Vincristine, Bleomycin, which is actually to calm the children when they become nauseous, she added.

This guarantees the quality of care and above all, ensures that treatments are not interrupted, Doctor Andy Hernández, pediatric oncologist at Juan Manuel Márquez Hospital, expressed..

Having the necessary medicines, materials and syringes for each patient, as well as venoclysis kits that cover all treatment needs, improves response rates and increases the likelihood of beating the disease, he punctualized.

We are talking about medicines that are needed for very specific illnesses. And if you don't have that medicine at that moment when the child is diagnosed, it's a much worse prognosis for them, La Riva continues.

We started the project three years ago in 2022, visiting the José Luis Miranda Hospital, and we were bringing medicines for women who are at risk in pregnancy and the doctors just said: “We really need medicine   for children with cancer.” Gloria commented.

A large proportion of donations come from charitable or solidarity institutions that support us  with specialities such as ours, because what the Health Ministry provides is insufficient. The direct donations from this group or any other organization, alleviate the situation of a large number of patients, Doctor Hernández stated.

We formed this small group called Corojo with the intention of helping Cuban children, Adry, a Cuban activist from Corojo Solidarity Group talked..

We've had people offering   to buy medicines for us from abroad, but because the name says Cuba, 

they cannot purchase for us. So having the name Cuba cannot purchase anything from international banks, Gloria criticized.

Pediatric oncology is especially affected [by sanctions] primarily due to restricted access to certain technologies related to imaging and therapy. This is because the drugs and equipment can’t be purchased, Doctor Andy denounced.

We know that our country is blockaded, which makes it very difficult for the Cuban government to obtain these medicines. Through these organizations, we’re doing all we can to help, Adry specified.

[Sanctions] also limit our ability to import medicines even the raw materials needed to produce cytostatics without having to depend on pharmaceutical companies or laboratories in other countries, doctor Andy reported.

By denying the children these medicines and the doctors who administer it, you're killing the children, La Riva condemned.

And so we heard many cases where the children didn't have what they needed, She added.