American and Cuban doctors provided free medical care to parishioners and neighbors in Centro Habana during a Health and Evangelism Day held at the Iglesia Bautista El Calvario, located at Reina #158, as documented on Facebook by photographer and congregation member David Espinosa.
The event brought together volunteers from the Global Health Outreach (GHO) ministry, who traveled from the United States, along with members of the Baptist Medical Fellowship of Cuba. They wore medical uniforms and identification badges while assisting dozens of people, mostly elderly members of the community.
Not even a power outage that occurred while the program was already in progress managed to interrupt the attention. “Nothing stopped these brothers, not even the kind of blackout they threw at us while the program was underway,” wrote Espinosa, who emphasized that the volunteers “continued attending and serving with tremendous willingness” despite the logistical challenges they faced during their visit to Cuba.
The event was dedicated to the memory of Doctor Tomás Barrueco del Valle, known as "Tomasito," who was described as a close collaborator of both the Baptist Medical Fellowship of Cuba and the congregation itself. "What touched me the most was that this event honored the memory of our dear brother," Espinosa remarked.
A banner from the Baptist Medical Brotherhood of Cuba presided over the meeting with the slogan "Preaching and healing go hand in hand" and the biblical reference of Matthew 9:35, encapsulating the philosophy that guides these Christian-oriented medical missions.
The initiative is part of the growing role that Cuban churches have taken on amid the collapse of the public health system. The Western Baptist Convention of Cuba reported that its congregations are organizing medical days with health professionals from within the churches, in addition to providing food to elderly individuals and vulnerable children.
In October, a Baptist church in Havana distributed food and clothing to the community, and another provided lunches to Cuban elderly, in a trend that reflects the void left by the State.
The health context driving these initiatives is alarming: in August, the Cuban government acknowledged that only 30% of essential medications were available — about 190 out of 651 drugs — while approximately 98,500 patients were waiting for surgeries, including around 12,000 children.
Global Health Outreach, the international medical missions branch of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations in the United States, organizes between 40 and 50 missionary teams each year that combine free healthcare with evangelism in developing countries. Its connection with the Baptist Medical Fellowship of Cuba dates back to the late 1990s, when American volunteers visited hospitals in Havana and Cienfuegos and established the medical cooperation channel that remains active today.
"The church also serves when it extends its hands to heal and share the love of Christ!" concluded Espinosa, whose photographs of the event circulated widely among the Cuban Baptist community.
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