Cuban Medical Care...
Her name is Yaima, a tall, pretty with beautiful large black eyes, female Afro-Cuban Doctor who treated Bulu (my better-half) in hospital Gustavo Aldereguia lima in Cienfuegos city. We came in emergency 10pm and after checking her lungs, she gave Bulu an IV of Broncodialator, then a chest XRay followed by second IV of corticosteroid. It is now 12:20AM in the emergency room waiting for financial bill. Cash or credit card! Really? American banks cannot process Visa or MC. I have cash - CUC. Three hours of emergency hospital visit, injections, med supplies etc came at grand-total of USD 88.00! This hospital is one of two large hospitals in Cienfuegos. It is a public hospital and its quality is like any general hospital in third-world country like India or even worse. Furniture old, well-used and beaten! However, doctors and hospital's staff are well educated and have great experience treating local people at no cost! Some of the staff, including Dr. Yakima has practiced overseas for number of years on behalf of Castro's Revolutionary Cuban Government.
It is 2 am. Tired and ready to go to bed. We returned from hospital about an hour ago. The doctor and nurse told us if Bulu does not still feel better, come back to the hospital. The staff was kind and caring. It felt chaotic and unorganized but still things moved relatively rapid speed considering this was an emergency room. I am tired, actually exhausted. Bulu even more so than me. We are in a foreign country interacting hospital people in fragmented Spanish, sometimes using iPhone’s English to Spanish dictionary. All Cubans wanted to help us including the taxi driver whose primary job is XRay tech in the same hospital. But for now we are back in Casa Particular hoping to catch some sleep. We won't plan anything tomorrow until Bulu feels good and strong enough to handle Cienfuegos Cuba's weather in the evening. The medical care in Cuba is inexpensive, prompt and good.
Her name is Yaima, a tall, pretty with beautiful large black eyes, female Afro-Cuban Doctor who treated Bulu (my better-half) in hospital Gustavo Aldereguia lima in Cienfuegos city. We came in emergency 10pm and after checking her lungs, she gave Bulu an IV of Broncodialator, then a chest XRay followed by second IV of corticosteroid. It is now 12:20AM in the emergency room waiting for financial bill. Cash or credit card! Really? American banks cannot process Visa or MC. I have cash - CUC. Three hours of emergency hospital visit, injections, med supplies etc came at grand-total of USD 88.00! This hospital is one of two large hospitals in Cienfuegos. It is a public hospital and its quality is like any general hospital in third-world country like India or even worse. Furniture old, well-used and beaten! However, doctors and hospital's staff are well educated and have great experience treating local people at no cost! Some of the staff, including Dr. Yakima has practiced overseas for number of years on behalf of Castro's Revolutionary Cuban Government.
It is 2 am. Tired and ready to go to bed. We returned from hospital about an hour ago. The doctor and nurse told us if Bulu does not still feel better, come back to the hospital. The staff was kind and caring. It felt chaotic and unorganized but still things moved relatively rapid speed considering this was an emergency room. I am tired, actually exhausted. Bulu even more so than me. We are in a foreign country interacting hospital people in fragmented Spanish, sometimes using iPhone’s English to Spanish dictionary. All Cubans wanted to help us including the taxi driver whose primary job is XRay tech in the same hospital. But for now we are back in Casa Particular hoping to catch some sleep. We won't plan anything tomorrow until Bulu feels good and strong enough to handle Cienfuegos Cuba's weather in the evening. The medical care in Cuba is inexpensive, prompt and good.
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