A brain tumor was removed to the girl Noemíi Bernardez in early September, and she will soon go through temozolomide chemotherapy, a treatment produced by an American laboratory. For this and other medications licensed in the United States, Cuba is forced to bypass the blockage through third countries, which increased the prices ... and deadlines.
A brain tumor was removed to the girl Noemí Bernardez in early September, and she will soon go through temozolomide chemotherapy, a treatment produced by an American laboratory. For this and other medications licensed in the United States, Cuba is forced to bypass the blockage through third countries, which increased the prices ... and deadlines.
The history of this Cuban girl echoed Tuesday in the hall of the UN General Assembly, when the representative of Bolivia mentioned her case to show the enormous human damage caused by the US blockade against the Caribbean nation.
"Right now my daughter is receiving radiotherapy, they are 27 (sessions). Then she will need to rest for 10 to 15 days after starting chemotherapy with this drug, "said Elizabeth Navarro, mother of the child who is admitted in the Oncology Hospital in Havana.
Sitting in a corner of Noemí’s bed, the mother of 28 years discretely wipes away a tear. It is not yet known whether the valuable treatment arrives on time.
Beside her, the girl, whose hair was shaved for surgery, is watching a cartoon on the television set installed in a corner of the room. Huddled in a chair, she is trying to forget the pain of a serum trapped under the skin of her wrist.
"It is essential to Noem and other patients with the same histology (the brain tumor) to be treated with a drug that increases the chances of survival, and it is the case of Temozolomide," Dr. Migdalia Perez says, who has worked for 15 years with young people affected by cancer.
Treatment is free, but there is lack of some medications
Each year about 300 children are treated in six specialized centers, on an island where the health care is paid by the government. With temozolomide administered orally, the chances of survival of young patients may increase from 20% to 70%, says Dr. Perez.
However, "it is very difficult to treat a disease with hands virtually tied," the doctor explains, referring to the need to purchase some medicines and equipment on distant markets from Cuba through intermediaries that raise fares.
Cuba now produces 65% of medicines consumed by its inhabitants, but still has to import diabetes, HIV-AIDS or cancer treatments.
Naoiçmi with her grandmother, who also received cancer treatment
Source: Cubadebate
Photo: AFP
Translation: Liubis Balart Martínez