When Dick White learned about the work of Aniplant, a charity in
Cuba which cares for the street dogs and cats in Havana, he decided
that Dick White Referrals should support their efforts and, in
conjunction with Trevor Bolton of Direct Medical Supplies, arranged
for a shipment of their most basic needs to be sent to the
voluntary vets working with the charity. This consisted largely of
syringes, needles, suture materials and gloves. When he received
reports back of how much difference these items had made to the
work in Havana, Dick and his wife Christine decided to visit them
and see at first hand the problems they were encountering.
On 27th April, they flew to Havana and spent the next few days
with Nora Garcia, the Director of the charity, and some of the vets
who work for her on a voluntary basis. The first day, they went to
see the headquarters which was a house in Havana Central. It was a
sound structure with plenty of potential but, essentially, just an
empty shell. Nora spoke of her dreams that one day the charity
could establish a permanent clinic there. The following day, after
a lengthy journey to the city of Matanzas, Dick gave a series of
lectures to vets and students at the University, covering the
topics of wounds, wound management and anaesthesia. This gave him a
real insight into the difficulties of working as a vet in Cuba.
There was no shortage of knowledge or enthusiasm, but a complete
lack of equipment, drugs and facilities and so only the most basic
level of care was possible.
The final day was spent visiting makeshift sterilisation
clinics. Aniplant's first priority is to reduce the number of cats
and dogs on the streets of the city and, to this end, they offer
free sterilisation. However, because of the lack of a clinic, the
vets provide their services inside the houses of supporters.
Usually the furniture is cleared from the living room and a dining
table is used by vets who perform up to 50 operations per day.
There are no preparation or recuperation areas and the vets are
stepping over the rows of anaesthetised cats and dogs which are
laid on the floor to recover.
The valiant efforts of these vets and the dedication of Nora
Garcia and her team of helpers were sufficient to convince Dick and
Christine that urgent help is required. They requested estimates
for the conversion of Aniplant's headquarters into a clinic and,
when they learnt that the construction work could be completed for
approximately £14,000, they agreed to cover the costs. An initial
donation was made immediately so that the work can be started and
further funds will be made available through the Dick White
Charitable Foundation. The Foundation receives all income from CPD
courses at Dick White Referrals and this will be used to aid
Aniplant and its work.