On March 29, 1990, in a great show of solidarity, the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, welcomed the first children who were victims of that accident to start a medical care program that ran lasted until 2016 and benefited more than 26,000 patients, who were accommodated in the nearby Tarara spa, east of Havana, where they received comprehensive, mass and free medical care in all specialties, so Cuba was the only country in the world that organized such a program.

On April 26, 1986, the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine exploded, a catastrophe that contaminated an area of nearly 140,000 square meters and generated a wave of radiation-related diseases in that territory.

Faced with this unfortunate tragedy, Cuba implemented a multidisciplinary plan in which hundreds of Health and Science workers were involved, and allowed for more than 21 years to treat and rehabilitate some 26,114 patients, 84 percent of whom were children mainly from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.

Its main objective was to provide highly specialized medical care and develop, in an appropriate environment, a sanatorium rehabilitation plan, with comprehensive health care, recreation and cultural actions.

As a result of Cuba’s humanitarian gesture, a significant number of children recovered their health. It also was a reference for all those interested in medical care in disaster situations and allowed us to understand the aftermath of one of the most serious accidents in the history of the nuclear industry.

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