Fidel Castro in the inauguration act of Julio Trigo Hospital, Arroyo Naranjo municipality, on September 5, 1987. (Photo: Cubadebate)
As everything concerning the right to universal health, Fidel promised and accomplished, to the Cuban people, so is his trace in the surging and development on intensive medicine in Cuba.
It was our historic leader, the supporter of that program which allows us today to count on what is “necessary to lengthen our lives in very hard biological conditions,” and to save them, employing techniques, modern equipment, and everything useful in the battle to preserve the existence of a human being in danger of dying.
The steady presence of Fidel in the most difficult sceneries of the country, always next to his people, in every happy or difficult minute, in everyday life, or major affairs, joined to his interest for knowing the needs of the people and give a solution to the problems; the untiring work and his compromise in favor of the people, was what permitted him to encourage and back; as he did it, step by step, the development of the Cuban Medicine and Science, applied to all fields.
Many are the examples which might illustrate that vocation of founder, that quality of the legendary chief of the Cuban Revolution of foreseeing the future development. So is shown by an article related to the genesis of intensive medicine services in Cuba and his political will to develop it, published in the site of this specialty in the Infomed portal.
The first one to which reference is made, was the speech in the funeral rites of Dr. Commander René Vallejo, August 14, 1969, “Year of the Decisive Endeavor”, which was held in Cemetery Colón.
There, Fidel said, “The most modern techniques of medicine, and above all, a group of doctors who demonstrated- in this case—an exemplary spirit, they were used to try to save the life of Commander Vallejo.” “…However, that titanic struggle to try to save the life, of Commander Vallejo”… However, that titanic struggle to save a life which could not be saved; besides what it has of encouraging, besides what it has of exemplary, it may not be considered a battle strategically lost (…) everything this struggled demonstrated, undoubtedly, will have to be useful to countless people.”
Fidel continued to argue, “As many other cases, not exactly of the same seriousness, in people who may suffer cerebrovascular accidents, and illnesses, which in a high percentage would lead to death. The physicians who have waged this battle, consider that by using the same technique, that same technique, that same intensive treatment, by using those equipment recently developed, many lives could be saved.
Another of those speeches, who make obvious Fidel’s worries, and occupation for the development of the program of intensive medicine in the system of Cuban health, was that delivered in the inauguration act of Julio Trigo Hospital, Arroyo Naranjo municipality, on September 5, 1987, “Year 29 of the Revolution”.
Here, the Commander referred to the intensive care, as a new concept which was being introduced in all clinical-surgical hospitals, and the reason for its priority, when he expressed, “I remember visiting all pediatric hospitals in that occasion (he was referring to the dengue fever from 1981), and I could see that unique room, and in the midst of the epidemic, and undertook the task of building the pediatric rooms. Today, we have more than thirty intensive pediatric therapy rooms, where thousands of children lives have been saved.”.
In connection with the inauguration of the “Julio Trigo” Hospital, conceived with the most advanced ideas, among them the new beds for the intensive care. Fidel explained how those pediatric therapies – just opened – were, and said, “As those are sophisticated equipment, with highly trained personnel, who give medicine the chance when a child is at the point of a heart attack or a respiratory arrest, or other type of problems, very serious. That specialized personnel, those equipment, that complete special attention makes it possible” (…) “These are serious programs which are being carried out length, and broadwise of the country progressively, that means that will be a high quality for our medicine.
The day the Commander opened the unit of intensive and intermediate care of Salvador Allende Hospital, of Cerro municipality, in the act, brought about on September 11, 1989, “Year 31 of the Revolution” He stood out the importance he gave to this type of services, “This is going to help much, because these intensive and intermediate care rooms are for saving lives, lives which otherwise would not be saved. Without the specialized care of men and women who work in this center, without the equipment which are there, without the medication which are there.
He also recognized the altruism and sacrifice of the personnel of therapy services with these words, “Nothing is as painful as impotence facing death, and these hospitals are battle fields against death. These doctors, these health workers, these nurses, these technicians, are soldiers of an army fighting against death.”.
On November 30, 1989, “Year 31st of the Revolution”, Fidel opened pediatric Hospital “Juan Manuel Márquez”, from Marianao municipality.” In that occasion, our beloved leader immediately went over there to get interested for the children most seriously ill, and to find out about the result of the intensive care. Later on, he commented on his opening words, “Right now, we have seen the case of a little girl who was bought here seriously ill, with a generalized infection on account of a pneumonia. She was kept with artificial respiration for eleven days, and now she is out of danger, but her case was very serious.”
That same day, our Commander summarized his perception on how she was going on up to the intensive care program, to which he cared with great passion. He did it with these words, “Right now, we pass through the intensive care room, and saw many cases in serious condition, who could not be saved, if they did not have without that kind of medical attention. Our net of pediatric hospitals is being much complete.”.
It is because our Fidel was the propelling force and the main architect of universal health in Cuba, a system of public health which has made of Cubans one of the healthiest of the world, as some international authorities of Public Health have expressed.
Without any fear of being wrong, rather highly proud, many of the Cuban health care scientific societies, and research institutions, or medical services, quote the Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, as the promoter there of the brightest ideas, its guide and undeniable founder, and the permanent motivation to work for excellency.
(Translated by Reinaldo Fernández)
