CubaXP.com - Apr 9, 2005
http://www.cubaxp.com/modules/-news/article-1490.html
Cuba: 15 Years with Chernobyl Victims
by CubaSi
15 years have gone by since the day that Cuban government began a
medical assistance program for the Ukrainian children affected, direct
or indirectly, by the accident occurred in April 1986 at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant, in the current territory of Ukraine.
Since then Cuban hospitals have treated 18,153 kids, ranging from 5 to
15 years of age, who suffer from different pathologies, likely caused by
that atomic catastrophe.
So far, 289 leukemia patients -6 of which received bone marrow
transplant-, 117 oncology patients, 14 kids with congenital
malformations and many others with alopecia or vitiligo have been
treated on the Island.
The treatment of so many cases has supplied Cuba a huge information
reserve on nuclear pollution, useful in the development of techniques
that allow assessing its effects on DNA.
Unique Database
Dr. Julio Medina, general coordinator of the program, explained that
most of the patients receive ambulatory treatment, for they consequently
spend in Cuba 45-60 days.
However, he specified that 13 percent of the patients suffer from some
disability or have undergone complex surgical operations, while other 20
percent receive a special medical checkup and go through a cleaning-up
process.
Dr. Medina assured that "since the beginning of the program a number of
dosimetric and biometric researches have been carried out aimed at
determining the consequences of the accident.
"Starting from these researches it was created a special database (on
infantile contamination) that, according to some international experts
opinion, is unique in the world, the professional said.
According to Raisa Moinsenko, head of the Maternal-Infant Office of the
Ukrainian Ministry of Public Health, "it was impossible to do in any of
our centers what Cuba did for these children".
The physician pointed out that though the Cuban aid is important today,
at the beginning it was vital: "Picture yourself that in 1990 we sent to
this country over 2,000 fairly sick children who were desperate,
hopeless".
"Were not just talking about technology or medications, were talking
about the possibilities of the positive psychological rehab Cuba is
offering to these children as resource for life", Moinsenko remarked.
Standing Up
In the present day, the agreement sets that Ukraine funds the tickets of
the patients, their parents and teachers, while Cuba is in charge of the
medical attention, the food and lodging of the kids and their
companions.
"I am in Cuba due to the illness I got as a result of the Chernobyl
catastrophe, progressive muscular distony", explained Vladimir Zaslaski,
who arrived in Cuba eleven years ago without even being able to remain
seated.
Today, aged 21, he can walk alone and insists on giving the interview
standing up, next to his mother, Esviela, who looks at him proud of the
miracle that Cuban doctors accomplished.
This Ukrainian mother told us that in his sons case, "what yielded
these results were a brain operation and several orthopedic operations
to correct the malformations he then had.
"Picture yourself what a mother can feel when her son starts walking,
that cannot be described with words. He spent thirteen years without
being able to walk, sit or eat alone", assured Esviela Zaslaski visibly
moved.
Serbian News Network - SNN
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http://www.antic.org/
