Viviana Gutiérrez Rodríguez, Provincial Director of Health, urged to continue perfecting the protocols of the institution that governs the pediatrics policies, from which Primary Care in the province is nourished and projected, during the annual balance of the Mártires de Las Tunas Pediatric Hospital.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The directive recognized the workers' performance in a difficult context marked by personnel migration outside the country and to the non-state sector. This fluctuation forced the restructuring of vital services during 2024, and despite the shortage of human resources, continued to care for the welfare of the children of Las Tunas with excellent results.

In the heat of the debate, Gutiérrez Rodríguez supported the collective in their goals to achieve structural transformations that guarantee better care for seriously ill infants and a more effective organization of resources. “Intensive Care is and will be a priority for the Health sector,” she said.

For his part, Dr. Luis Enrique Rodríguez Pérez, a second-degree specialist in Pediatrics and Intensive Care, called for a deeper interweaving of all the services to guarantee children's health. The intensivist also has to walk through the wards and reach the child whose health condition could worsen to prevent it from reaching a critical state,” he said. "And we must have tight control over the one-year-old child who comes to the institution repeatedly. We cannot send a child home without a clear diagnosis because that is the same child who arrives days later in terrible condition.”

During the past calendar, with a reduced team of specialists, which forced to undertake an emergency diploma course to ensure the services, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was marked by a survival rate close to 98 percent, which was commendable, in addition to the fact that this service showed a zero infant mortality rate in children under one year.

Likewise, Dr. Mercedes Riaño Almesiga, head of the Operating Room, emphasized the staff's commitment and dedication to complying with the surgical plans despite the scarcity of resources and the deterioration of the building.

About 1,900 surgical interventions were planned in 2024, and 1,921 were performed, apart from the damage to a room due to the lack of cables for monitors, irons, and others, which on several occasions caused the suspension of elective operations.

During the debate, they insisted on the continuity of demanding the training of the personnel and the link with the community health areas, as well as achieving timely diagnoses and referrals to ensure the infant's life.

The need to revitalize the functioning of the grassroots union sections to accompany the workforce, which stands out for its sacrifice, especially in this institution where children’s lives are the priority, was also emphasized.