The pastor of the Baptist Church «Peniel» in La Coloma delivered a donation of personal hygiene items and food this Thursday to the Oncohematology service of the «Pepe Portilla» Provincial Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Pinar del Río, for the benefit of the children admitted to that service.
The hospital itself shared the news on its social media with a message of gratitude: “The service of Oncohematology at Pepe Portilla was visited by faith and love for others, brought by the pastor of the Peniel Baptist Church, belonging to La Coloma.”
The delivery took place in the morning, and the medical center expressed its gratitude publicly: "On behalf of the Hospital's Board of Directors and the families of the children, we thank the members of the Baptist Congregation for this gesture."
The circulated images show bags containing hygiene products and food stacked on a table, as well as hospital staff receiving the supplies alongside members of the congregation.
La Coloma is a coastal town in the municipality of Pinar del Río, with just over 5,400 inhabitants, from where the Baptist congregation extended its support to the main childcare center in the province.
The donation arrives at a particularly challenging time for Cuban healthcare. In April of this year, only 190 out of the 651 medications in the national basic drug list were available, approximately 29%, while around 12,000 children were waiting on surgical lists nationwide.
El Pepe Portilla, which celebrated its centenary on September 30 of this year, introduced the Oncohematology service in 1981 and provides care to children with oncological and hematological diseases from across the province.
This gesture is part of a growing trend among Cuban Baptist churches, which have increased their direct humanitarian assistance efforts in response to the needs that the State has failed to address.
The William Carey Baptist Church in Vedado distributed food, clothing, and household items to underprivileged families in October, and the El Calvario Baptist Church in Centro Habana hosted a free medical clinic with Cuban and American professionals on October 31st.
The Western Baptist Convention of Cuba has also documented that its congregations provide weekly breakfasts and lunches for vulnerable children and the elderly, as well as medical services and educational support, thus filling gaps that the structural crisis of the healthcare system has left unaddressed.
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