By Sarah-Eve Gonnet, Partnerships and programs officer
As part of a special project to provide optical and ophthalmological equipment to Cuba, IRIS Mundial sent a number of donations last May. Several large items of equipment, such as a retinal camera and a visual field, were donated to our partners at the Ophthalmology Centre of the Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico “Arnaldo Milian Castro”. Some frames, lenses, magnifiers, white canes and spectacle cases were sent to our second Cuban partners, the Asociación nacional de ciegos de Cuba (ANCI) in Villa Clara.
Context:
This project follows an initial meeting in September 2023 between IRIS Mundial’s Partnerships and Programs officer and the directors of the Santa Clara Provincial Hospital Ophthalmology Center and ANCI, who outlined the region’s needs in terms of the acquisition of optical and ophthalmological equipment and materials.
For over sixty (60) years, the country has been under an economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States. This policy, implemented during the Kennedy era, has had a major impact on the island’s economic development. Despite extremely limited resources, the Cuban healthcare system is, according to the WHO, a world benchmark, since it has succeeded in universalizing its system of free healthcare for the population throughout its territory. Cuba also shares its expertise with people in developing countries around the world. Since 2023, nearly 24,000 Cuban healthcare professionals have been on assignment in over 60 countries. Although Cuba’s healthcare system is world-renowned, production capacities for Cuban-designed vaccines and medicines are hampered by frequent shortages of imported raw materials and essential components. Today, Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in 30 years, with inflation at 70% and a worsening shortage of food, medicines, inputs and fuel.
Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico “Arnaldo Milian Castro”:
The Arnaldo Milián Castro Provincial University Hospital provides clinical and surgical services to the population of Villa Clara province and has 13 territorial services for the central provinces. It is the largest teaching center in the province. The Ophthalmology Center of the Provincial Hospital offers its population around 13 services, including refractions, eye surgery, electrophysiological testing and contact lens fitting.
The Ophthalmology Center also boasts a Low Vision Clinic, where a multidisciplinary team is responsible for the visual rehabilitation of patients with ophthalmological conditions that lead to a deterioration in visual quality without any possible optical, surgical or medical correction. The aim is to help them accomplish as many tasks and activities of daily living as possible, and thus improve their quality of life.
Asociación nacional de ciegos de Cuba (ANCI) of Villa Clara:
Known by the acronym ANCI, it was the first national organization of blind Cubans, founded in 1975. Today, the national ANCI has over 23,000 members throughout the country. The fundamental objective of this Cuban organization is to achieve the integration of the blind and visually impaired into social life, which requires the integral rehabilitation of the individual. This is why ANCI’s plans at all levels include integration into work and education, as well as the practice of various sporting disciplines, access to culture and leisure activities.
There are 15 ANCI provincial offices responsible for its municipal offices. In the province of Villa Clara, there are 2,084 associates across the province, 13 municipal offices, 1 special school for blind and/or visually impaired children and 1 provincial hospital (the Ophthalmology Center and the Low Vision Clinic of the Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico “Arnaldo Milian Castro”).
Villa Clara area needs:
The optical and ophthalmological equipment available at the Provincial Hospital’s Ophthalmology Centre and Low Vision Clinic is several years old, and some of it is missing parts. As for ANCI, the rare optical and ophthalmological equipment they do have is mostly obsolete. It is very difficult to obtain equipment and spare parts in Cuba, due to the country’s economic crisis and constant shortages.
Since the donations were received in the province of Villa Clara, frames and spectacle cases have gradually been distributed to the province’s 13 municipalities, located in rural areas far from the main health centers. Magnifiers, white canes and corrective lenses have all been delivered according to the needs of the beneficiaries and to the escuela Provincial fructuoso Rodríguez elementary school for blind and/or visually impaired children.
Thank you to our partners, without whom this project would not have been a success:
- Hospital Provincial Clínico Quirúrgico “Arnaldo Milian Castro”
- Asociación nacional de ciegos de Cuba (ANCI) of Villa Clara
- Asociación de Cubanos Residentes en Toronto Juan Gualberto Gómez
- The Cuban Embassy in Ottawa
Thanks also to the organizations that have supported IRIS Mundial in this project through donations of materials and equipment:
- New Look Vision Group
- IRIS stores (IRIS, The Visual Group)
Testimonial and thank you:
We would like to express our sincere thanks on behalf of the Villa Clara National Association of the Blind for the invaluable donation of prescription lenses, eyeglass frames, cases, magnifiers and white canes. Your generosity and support make a significant difference in the lives of our members, providing them with essential resources that facilitate their independence and improve their quality of life.
IRIS Mundial’s support goes beyond donated items; it represents a message of solidarity and hope for those who face the daily challenges of visual impairment. Thanks to you, many people will be able to function with greater confidence and security and take an active part in the life of our community.
Your contribution is a great step towards the inclusion and well-being of our members. We are happy and grateful to be able to count on the support of a committed organization like IRIS Mundial.
With gratitude and respect,
Esther M. Lopez Fuertes,
President of the provincial ANCI of Villa Clara
(Translation of the original text in Spanish)