Cuban Medical Brigades

Following an 8.0 earthquake that hit the coast of Central Peru, the Cuban government mobilized it's Medical Brigades, which, within days, had set up two major tent hospitals in addition to traveling the countryside in mobile units attending to patients.

In the period of a few months, the 77 health care workers attended to over 60,000 patients, providing not only emergency treatment for earthquake victims, including major surgical operations, but also filling a void left when the main hospital in Pisco was destroyed and providing assistance for pregnant women, childbirth, hernia and other medical needs.

The Cuban Medical Brigades have rushed to assist around the world, including mobilizing to set up numerous hospitals in Kashmir following the severe 2005 earthquake. Also in 2005, the Cubans offered to send hundreds of medical professionals to Louisiana to help following Hurricna Katrina. Their offer was denied by the American government.