February 2010 Work Team Mission to Cuba
Update provided by Jerome Harvey (March 11, 2010):
Hi everyone, Well we are back all in one piece from our first 2010 medical/technical trip. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf. West Jet allowed the five of us to take 22 bags of valuable supplies, including a milking machine for Cuban farming relatives of a Canadian missionary (Figure that one out!). Again Cuban Customs was completely understanding.
You may recall Canadian Tire donating a bunch of tools to MEMO right before we left. Below is a great pic of Emelios, the Placetas Hospital maintenance man, receiving a very valuable set of screwdrivers:
In terms of hard work, Cathy Olson of Thunder Bay and Darrell Robinson of Langley, BC just went at it, and with help from several Cubans, did the impossible. They turned the black cafeteria ceiling and walls sparkling white with scrubbing, sealing and painting. This is the same picture angle in both pictures:
All that is left to do is the actual kitchen. A Cuban hospital worker was overheard to say, "Look at those Christians cleaning our dirty walls I wouldn't do that if I was paid!" We hope we were an encouragement to care for their own hospital.
Meanwhile Darrell's wife Ruthann, a laboratory expert, surveyed the labs in the five hospitals we visited and gave many helpful hints for improved results of tests. Below: On the right is one of our interpreters Dariel. Ruthann is in the middle 
I was blessed with Jean Enarson, a home care nurse from Alberta who followed me around and took copious notes of all the requests for equipment, furniture and repair parts for medical stuff that has broken down. The good news: We have a very detailed list of what is needed; The bad news: It is going to take a lot of money to buy the repair parts.
Below: Jean taking notes in the Remedios ICU which is down to one monitor for the whole ICU.
A replacement cable for a monitor costs $150.
It was reported to us that the Provincial Minister of Health has said that since MEMO started helping his province,
health care has taken a 180 degree turn for the better.
That is what keeps us (you and me) working in this ministry.
I was thrilled to see Dr. Pandu (below), trained by Rocky Moise of Comox, in the middle of a laproscopic gall bladder operation
with all the equipment we had provided from the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital working beautifully. 
We must remember our victories! Finally, Dr Aurora is working very hard in the breast screening clinic doing 80 mammograms a week. We must support her efforts by providing the xray film and developing chemicals they require. $2 a mammogram. Click here to find out how to donate to this much needed cause. She hopes to get permission from Canada to come for a few months training in Mammography at the Thunder Bay Regional during the summer.
There are some exciting developments just around the corner that we are working on but this update is already too long. Thanks for all your support.
May you all be blessed, Jerome