Health care in Cuba generally was considered excellent, but that's no longer the case. Basic medications aren’t evenly distributed among the people, which means the island nation’s poorest citizens and children often lack basic antibiotics and prescription medicines.
When they can find a doctor for treatment, patients may have to provide their own meds and medical supplies because of shortages. This includes everything needed for surgeries, from gloves, to suture, and anesthesia
That’s where the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church is trying to help. Icel Rodriguez, the Conference Director of Global Missions, works through Blessings International, volunteers, and the United Methodist Church in Cuba to obtain, deliver, and distribute the supplies where they are needed most.
It is more than a goodwill service. It is an outreach witness.
“In Cuba, the state owns everything except the church,” she said. “The church is the hub of the communities. When people come to the church to receive the medicine, they see what is being done, and in many cases, non-believers make the decision to join. It’s God at work.”
The medicines run the gamut from anti-parasites, diabetes treatment, upper respiratory medication, prenatal vitamins, blood pressure, cholesterol, and so on. One stipulation is that patients cannot be charged for the services.
“The unfortunate truth is that they need everything,” volunteer Sam Martinez said.
A shipment in 2021 gives you an idea of the impact.
The Conference sent 370 pounds of mostly prescription medications to the Iglesia Metodista En Cuba. Purchased with donations from Florida sister churches, the medicine was distributed to the 17 districts of the United Methodist Church throughout Cuba.
Just getting the supplies to Cuba is a challenge because of the logistics involved.
“How are we able to get the medicine down there? Only by the grace of God,” Martinez said. “The United Methodist Church has been very generous.”
It starts with the Blessings International partnership to obtain the medicine at a low cost, which says its mission is to “heal the hurting, build healthy communities, and transform lives.”
In the 2022 fiscal year, Blessings International sent 101 tons of medicine to 92 countries, reaching an estimated 7.46 million people. In the last year, it has had a greater footprint in Europe, directly related to the war in Ukraine.
A licensed doctor with an active medical license in Florida has to request the drugs bound for Cuba. Once that is done, the medicine is sent to a shipping company in Miami and then to the United Methodist Center in Havana, Cuba. From there, the goods are taken to the 17 districts by the superintendents,
Word of the treatments has even extended as far as Cuban hospitals.
“They will sometimes refer their patients to go to the church to get their medicine,” Rodriguez said. “And I know that countless numbers of children have been helped.”
The work goes on because the need never ends.
Fortunately, neither does the drive to help the people most in need.
"In August, we sent more than 2,000 pounds of medicine. We have to help,” Rodriguez said. “The people in Cuba really need us to do that.”
It’s love and care in action, and, really now, isn’t that what Jesus commanded us to do?
story by Joe Henderson, Content Editor, FLUMC.org
This story represents how United Methodist local churches through their Annual Conferences are living as Vital Congregations. A vital congregation is the body of Christ making and engaging disciples for the transformation of the world. Vital congregations are shaped by and witnessed through four focus areas: calling and shaping principled Christian leaders; creating and sustaining new places for new people; ministries with poor people and communities; and abundant health for all.
