Dear friends of Cuba,
Comrades,
Re: On raising funds to support the manufacture of emerging ventilators in Cuba in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic
Last Friday, August 7, 2020, the Cuban Neuroscience Center (CNEURO) collected from Cuban customs the donation of supplies needed to complete 250 non-invasive ventilators that CNEURO will deliver to the national health network in October-November, as part of the strategies developed in the country to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
This donation was purchased by "Cubanos en UK" and was made possible thanks to all the people and organizations that, in solidarity, contributed to the collection of £26,000 pounds last May.
The donation sent to CNEURO, the entity in charge of manufacturing the ventilators, includes:
- M/L CPAP masks
- Harnesses for CPAP masks
- PEEP valves
- Breathing filters
These materials sent are the parts of the circuits for coupling patients to non-invasive ventilators.
As part of the support for the construction of the non-invasive emerging ventilators in Cuba, "Cubanos en UK" received as a donation from the University College London (UCL) a UCL-Ventura non-invasive ventilator, on whose design the Cuban development of non-invasive ventilators was based. The UCL-Ventura unit will be used in the quality control tests of the Cuban units.
There were also purchased with the money collected in May: 5000 sterile syringes and 1600 examination gloves that are sent in the container coordinated by "Cubanos en Holanda" to which different organizations and groups in Europe have contributed, and which will travel from Holland to Cuba this August.
In spite of the continuous challenges and obstacles resulting from the US blockade against Cuba, the Cuban government together with the institutions involved have managed to effectively confront the COVID-19 in the country, and at the same time Cuba is giving an example of solidarity and international collaboration by sending medical brigades to other countries.
Dr. Valia Rodríguez-Rodríguez and Dr. Miriam Palacios-Callender
Organizers of the collection, Members of "Cubanos en UK"
Daniesky Acosta
General Coordinator "Cubans in the UK"