Cubans residing in Canada sent a donation of medical supplies to the island as a contribution to the fight against COVID-19.
The aid, valued at $65,000, arrived this Saturday at the Frank País International Airport, in Holguín, on a flight from Toronto, the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency reported.
The shipment was organized and coordinated by the Juan Gualberto Gómez Cuban Association in Toronto and comprises syringes, disposable needles, pulmonary ventilation equipment, endotracheal and endobronchial catheters for pediatric ages.
In addition, the donation includes laboratory components and means of protection for medical personnel who work in the red zones, such as gowns, caps and disposable masks, adds the information, which does not specify the amounts of the supplies donated.
ACNreporta Un donativo con insumos médicos destinado a la lucha contra la COVID-19, arribó hoy por el Aeropuerto Internacional Frank País, de la ciudad de #Holguín, #Cuba, en vuelo procedente de #Toronto, #Canadá. @ACN_Cuba @InesMChapman @DiazCanelB @MMarreroCruz pic.twitter.com/1I9SPxM7Gy
— Juan Pablo Carreras (@jpabloACN_Cuba) June 12, 2021
On behalf of the authorities, Dr. Rebeca Robles, head of International Relations at the Provincial Department of Public Health in Holguín, thanked the valued donation and specified that it will contribute to improving the quality of service in the Maternal and Child Program, in cancer patients and in patients infected with COVID-19.
For his part, Iván Francisco Fernández, an official of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, explained that the shipment materialized “in record time, with the participation of friends linked to the international movement of solidarity with Cuba” and recognized the work of the Juan Gualberto Gómez Cuban Association in Toronto.
This group of immigrants from the island belongs to the Canadian network of solidarity with Cuba and its work includes actions against the U.S. embargo on Cuba and campaigns in the digital environment.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the island has received several donations from solidarity organizations and immigrants, as well as from governments and international entities, with the aim of helping the island face the infectious disease. In recent weeks the donations, which are organized in different parts of the world, have focused mainly on contributing to the vaccination process in Cuba.