Why I had to rush Bulu to a Cienfuegos (Cuba) Hospital Emergency?
On Friday, April 29th, we traveled seven hours in a four passenger collectivo taxi from Vinales to Cienfuegos arriving Casa Las Golondrinas close to 4pm. During the trip, I sat in the central hump seat of an older Russian car and communicated with our traveling ~80 years' young French woman. Bulu barely spoke. She was worried about her uncomfortable coughing caused by severe asthmatic attack. The taxi had AC and she dozed off more frequently than usual. We took two breaks but she looked tired and exhausted as she was not able to fill her lungs with fresh air. Her cough starts with deep breathing so she takes shallow breath. After checking into our upper story well-lighted Casa room, I told Bulu we should go to a local clinic to give her bottled oxygen and strong inhaler medicine. Dr. Victor, the Casa owner, told us about the Clinica International. It is open 24 hrs a day. I also verified it in the Lonely Planet book. At around 6pm, we took horse drawn buggy (2 CUC) couple of miles to the Clinic. A mid 40s nurse immediately took her in and administered treatment. Bulu felt as if some load is off her chest! Her bronchial tube was open and she could get more oxygen. The nurse said she is at the Clinic until 8am next day morning, in case. She also said Bulu needs to see a doctor if there is a second severe asthmatic attack. There was no charge at the Clinic!
We then enjoyed next hour or two in Punta Gorda area in a bicycle ride and then went for a pizza diner near central Cienfuegos Parque Jose Marti. Bulu again was having difficult time breathing and started coughing. After dinner, I unsuccessfully looked for a taxi to get back to the Casa, so we started walking back five blocks. Bulu could not walk as her usual speed. She was straining and coughing. Half the way on a main street C37 P Del Padro, we caught a taxi. I told Bulu, we must rush back to the Clinica International to treat her asthmatic attack. First stop was our Casa where I dropped all our extra stuff in the room, picked up our passports and money, informed Victor, and drove back to the Clinic we had been to three hours ago. The driver knew what was going on and where to go. The Cuban nurse immediately knew the driver, gave him a hug. She saw Bulu and told driver in Spanish to take her ASAP to the local hospital's Emergency and see a doctor for an aggressive treatment. Bulu had not expected to go to hospital and protested; but I told her it's the best for her and whatever it takes, she needs to get treated by a qualified medical team at an emergency.
The taxi driver drove to the hospital and he accompanied us to the emergency admittance of this old rundown so called hospital. It was 10PM. Still outside it was very hot & humid, and inside open areas were full of waiting patients. I knew it would take hours to get this done. There was no central air conditioning and select rooms had rusted old window a/c units not much putting out cold air! The driver fellow was leading our way and getting hugs, kisses, and hello from hospital workers. I then guessed that he must be working here as a doctor or some other good position. Taxi driving was his second job as medical field barely pays living wages in Cuba. He put us in a small, quiet room with a bent student steel desk and two dull gray steel chairs that you buy from Goodwill for us to sit. And we waited for our turn to see the emergency room doctor. Bulu was not at all happy to be this place and wanted to return back to the Casa. It is not easy to see a fourth world facility only 90-miles south of the richest country in the world where hospitals' large, clean, reception lobby has flowers, colorful fish tanks, coffee shops and no sick patients getting treatment in the hallway! But it is not the money but the knowledge and experience of medical staff that matters! Our turn came within half an hour to see, Yaima, a tall, pretty, female Afro-Cuban Doctor who then treated Bulu in hospital Gustavo Aldereguia lima in Cienfuegos city, Cuba.
