Until 10:00 a.m. m. This Sunday, August 14, 132 people were injured, of which 20 are hospitalized, two people died and 110 patients were discharged.

The 20 patients are hospitalized in six health institutions in the country.

Continuing the expert work, yesterday the forces were divided into two main directions, one group to continue the inspection and search actions at the scene of the incident and another group dedicated itself to carrying out the studies of the fragments of bone remains found.

As a result of the work at the scene, new bone fragments were found in different locations, which have been raised for expert study. The group dedicated to the study of the recovered bone remains proceeded to classify and describe them, with the aim of evaluating the possible data of identifying interest, in correspondence with the files that were prepared for all the disappeared.

Work continues today at the scene of the event, until the entire planned area is exhausted, as well as the study of the bone fragments found.

Medical assistance continues to all injured people by our health professionals, with the necessary resources for their care.

(Cubadebate)

According to Iyolexis Correa Lorenzo, Ministry of Tourism representative in the province, the hotel can receive some 800 customers, that is 70% of the capacity, in accordance with regulations established for the current stage of the post-COVID recovery period. Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabrera

• CAYO COCO, CIEGO DE AVILA – The re-initiation of tourist operations in Cuba’s Jardines del Rey beach resorts, in the post-COVID-19 period, was described as a success after visitors put to the test services and sanitary protocols at the airport and the Pullman Cayo Coco hotel, a five-star facility affiliated with the Gran Caribe chain and managed by its French associate, Accor Hotels.

The first vacationers arrived on Saturday, August 1, from Nassau, in two planes which landed at the Jardines del Rey International Airport. They expressed a high degree of satisfaction, during their first hours at the Pullman Cayo Coco Hotel – the chain’s only all-inclusive beach resort facility – and were eager to enjoy other optional activities available on the keys.

Drexel Munroe, one of the newly arrived visitors, praised sanitary protocols in place at both the airport and in the hotel, with the implementation of strict preventative measures to guarantee the health of guests and workers at these sites, which have been inspected and certified by the Ministry of Public Health as meeting international standards for safe, hygienic tourism.

Alexis Crespo Torna, assistant general manager of the 566-room hotel, told Granma that visitors were satisfied with the services provided at the facility, which they described as excellent.

According to Iyolexis Correa Lorenzo, Ministry of Tourism representative in the province, the hotel can receive some 800 customers, that is 70% of the capacity, in accordance with regulations established for the current stage of the post-COVID recovery period.

She pointed out that, in addition to the Pullman, the Paraiso Beach, also in Cayo Coco, has opened its doors to the world, as well as all extra-hotel facilities on the keys, including dolphinariums on Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo; the La Güira site; marinas offering catamaran trips, boating adventures, fishing, diving, and excellent opportunities on Pilar Beach, also known as Hemingway Beach, regularly visited by the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, during his years in Cuba.

(Source: Granma)

In this regard, it is worth mentioning the construction of several facilities, including the first unit for the evaluation of physical performance of older adults in Cuba – and one of the few existing in Latin America and the Caribbean -opened on October 1, 2019, taking into consideration the concept of healthy aging, promoted by the World Health Organization.

“This unit makes it possible to evaluate functional capacity based on variables such as walking speed and muscle strength, among other essential aspects. It also supports the diagnosis and rehabilitation of elderly persons with reduced functional capacity and promotes the development of research in key areas of aging and the training of competent human resources,” explained Dr. Lilian Rodriguez Rivera, director of the Center for Research on Longevity, Aging and Health.

In previous statements, Dr. Iván Tápanes López, specialist in Geriatrics and Gerontology, and head of the Center’s physical performance unit, reported that the facility has high-tech equipment which allows for better diagnoses and assistance, research and comprehensive assessment from the physical point of view, evaluating the performance of activities like walking and others requiring physical effort and strength.

Similarly, on November 21, last year, the Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Disorders Center opened in the municipality of Habana Vieja, also the only one of its kind in Cuba, specializing in early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s, support for caregivers, family members and professionals involved in the care of older adults who suffer from this health problem, and research that contributes to improving the care and management of these patients, as well as working with institutions associated with the BioCubaFarma state entrrpise group, according to Dr. Rodriguez.

On the day of its inauguration, Dr. Niurka Casado Barralesuna said that a priority of the institution will be the preparation courses, to contribute to supporting the establishment of memory clinics at the municipal level, for the identification of the most complex cases, she explained.

With services including nursing, geriatrics, social assessment, neuropsychology and group therapy, the center is committed to comprehensive treatment and has computerized systems.

For its part, the Center for Longevity, Aging and Health is developing a training program for the specialty of Gerontology and Geriatrics; a new study plan for Master’s degrees in Public Health and Aging; and clinical nutrition and sarcopenia consultation (a term that describes the degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass and reduction of muscle strength that occurs with aging) have begun as outpatient services.

Likewise, at the Center for Research on Longevity, Aging and Health, 15 protocols for hospital care were updated and others approved for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malnutrition, and related to the use of anesthesia in elderly patients at high surgical risk, with the goal of implementing these nationwide.

In relation to academia and the importance of lifelong learning, the new study plan for MSc in Public Health and Aging is in the design phase, as well as a professional development course in Gerontology and Geriatrics.

The National Program for the Care of the Elderly, with its three subsystems: community, hospital and institutional, is also in the process of being updated.

The committee and working group for the development of the specialty on the island was created at the Longevity, Aging and Health Center i, and the program for the development of the specialty of geriatrics for the period 2020-2025 is currently in the working phase.

Good health must be an essential component of society’s response to the aging population, added Dr. Rodríguez Rivera, who recalled a thought expressed by Comandante en jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, who said, “The most humane thing a society can do is to care for the elderly.”

ADRESSING DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS

In addition to these centers, in response to demographic trends, Cuba has continued to prioritize care for the elderly.

With advances made this past year, a total of 53 services in this specialty are now available in Geriatrics, with 1,063 beds destined for these patients, 53 more than at the close of 2018, according to the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, in a review of 2019.

During this period, the number of beds in the 155 nursing homes increased, for a total of 12,419, as well as two new community centers for the elderly, for a total of 295.

More than 973,000 older adults joined grandparents’ circles during the year and 29 mental health departments were created, bringing the total to 178 nationwide.

IN CONTEXT

-In 2019, 675 patients were admitted by the Center for Research on Longevity, Aging and Health, a greater number than 2018.

-The occupation rate was 78%.

-The average stay was 7.9 days, 1 day less than in 2018.

-Some 7,579 medical consultations were provided, slightly less than the number reported in 2018.

-Some 401 surgical procedures were performed, higher than reported over the last five years and 123 more than in 2018.

-The clean surgical wound rate was positive, with no infections reported.

-The average preoperative stay was 1.7 days, less than in 2018.

-The introduction of minimally invasive surgery is advancing successfully.

(Granma)