Haiti's tragedy - solidarity is vital‏

The truly horrendous scenes of devastation, destruction and death in Haiti cannot fail to touch our hearts‬‪. The first large earthquake in 240 years, this enormous richter scale 7.0 quake's effects are only barely understood at this time.‬‪ Thousands have though been killed and tens of thousands left homeless. Nothing could be more worse for a country with problems of‬‪ poverty on a grand scale.

As background material on Haiti read the second half of Fidel Castro's reflection from May last year‬‪ ‬‪http://monthlyreview.org/castro/2009/05/24/nothing-can-be-improvised-in-haiti/‬‪

To date Cuba's doctors currently working in Haiti have set up two emergency tent-hospitals‬‪ alongside the destroyed hospital in Port au Prince, and have treated over 1,000 patients, including numerous surgeries.‬‪ None of the doctors so far have been reporting missing or injured although two suffered minor leg injuries according to Cuban TV.‬‪ Cuba has also sent 30 additional specialists (orthopedists, surgeons, etc) but did not have to send a large contingent of doctors‬‪ because there are already hundreds of Cuban doctors working there.

According to the TV report, a further medical brigade‬‪from Cuba will arrive soon. The Henry Reeves brigade, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Reeve_(soldier) created for emergency‬‪ situations, is taking medicines, clothes, food, saline solution and plasma bags. Lets hope that the marines that Obama is now‬‪ despatching to Haiti to help with the relief effort, can work alongside the Cubans who were already there, to jointly assist the people.‬‪ ‬‪

This is a moment in which our solidarity is of critical importance. You can donate at http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-17424-f0.cfm