Charity plays big role in Cuba visit

Charity plays big role in Cuba visit
Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 7:53 AM EDT
By Nathaniel Hoffman

For the Idaho Press-Tribune
HAVANA, Cuba — Mixed in among the 34 farmers, academics and food
exporters who joined Gov. Butch Otter on his recent trade mission to
Cuba was Liz and her case of medical supplies.

Murtland, who runs the Nampa-based Hands of Hope Northwest, Inc., a
faith-based organization that donates needed medical supplies across the
world, learned firsthand how difficult it is for Americans to trade with
Cubans.

Even when it's for charity.
Murtland could only bring $200 worth of health supplies — bandage
material, catheters and respiratory equipment, among other items. The
limits are part of a U.S. embargo against the communist Caribbean state
90 miles off the Florida coast.

"Our intentions were to take more than that," Murtland said, "but we
didn't want to break the law."

Murtland had $1,800 worth of supplies slated for Cuba. But she was only
able to bring the $200 worth of items herself. A mission participant
from the Idaho Department of Commerce carried another $200 worth, on
behalf of the organization.
They delivered the supplies to the April 19 clinic, a busy, tree-shaded
general medical office in southern Havana where many Cuban medical
students train.

Murtland presented the modest set of supplies to doctors at the clinic,
where the Idaho delegation gained some insight into Cuba's heath system.

"Because we all care about health care, we wanted to share something
with them from the state of Idaho," Murtland said.
Cubans are proud of their universal health care system, and Cuban
doctors work in developing countries across the world. Murtland said she
still has some questions about the level of care provided in Cuba, but
that she appreciated all of the time that Cuban medical officials spent
with the Idaho delegation.

Otter's first trade mission as governor has resulted in some pledges
from Cuba's food import agency, Alimport, to buy Idaho meat and possibly
some other products.

Murtland said the group that traveled with the governor will meet again
and follow up on the contacts they made on the island.
This week, Hands of Hope shipped 17,000 pounds of medical supplies worth
$230,000 to Kenya. The group has sent containers of supplies to the
Philippines and to Pakistan recently as well.

Otter praised Murtland's role in the Idaho delegation several times
while in Cuba.

"We have a great organization in Idaho that is capable of delivering
about a million and half, $2 million a year worth of needed medical
supplies free of charge," Otter told reporters in the lobby of the Hotel
Nacional, Havana's flagship hotel.
"They look forward to increasing the donations to the medical needs in
Cuba."

Nathaniel Hoffman is an independent journalist in Boise and a former
reporter for the Idaho Press-Tribune.

http://www.idahopress.com/articles/2007/04/25/news/news4.txt