The health sector continues to be one of the hardest hit by the blockade

Havana, Nov 4 (RHC) Dozens of children in Cuba are diagnosed with Retinopathy of Prematurity, and it is currently impossible to acquire the necessary technology to treat them because of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States.

They are at risk of going blind because they are unable to purchase the IQ 577 Laser System, model IQ 577, from the US company IRIDEX CORPORATION, for the treatment of retinal and glaucoma conditions.

Similarly, the report entitled "Necessity of putting an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba", states that children suffering from infantile spinal atrophy could aspire to a better quality of life and life expectancy if Cuba could have access to the Nusinersen drug.

The drug is produced only by the U.S. multinational company BIOGEN and it proved to be effective in keeping alive more than half of the infants suffering from this deadly disease.

According to the document, eight Cuban children with different types of cancer could not receive the most suitable chemotherapy treatment for their disease and had to resort to second-line protocols, due to difficulties in accessing drugs such as Actinomycin D, Ifosfamide, and Procarbazine.

Infants with cardiovascular conditions cannot use biological cardiac implant materials, such as U.S.-made biological heart valves.

This situation forces the use of mechanical valves, which require treatment with anticoagulants and expose patients to further complications.

"Newborn and low-birth-weight children have to undergo complicated surgeries, as essential devices, such as very low-profile catheters, marketed by U.S. firms such as NUMED, BOSTON SCIENTIFIC, COOK, are not available," the text stresses.

The health sector continues to be one of the hardest hit by the blockade; in the first seven months of 2021 alone, this policy caused losses of 113 million 498,300 dollars.

This hostile policy, which is already more than 60 years old, had 185 votes in favor of its elimination the day before in the United Nations General Assembly. (Source: PL)