Travel to what developed countries may describe as “exotic” locations, often means travel to less developed areas.
Just as often these areas are desperately short of things taken for granted in developing countries. This is perhaps especially so when it comes to medical supplies.
That was what one Canadian man discovered after a vacation in Cuba four years ago. Tim Blazanovic is a resident of the western prairie province of Manitoba.
Speaking to the CBC he said, “I noticed how desperate they were down there for all sorts of humanitarian need and that. And when I came back I said to my wife: ‘there’s got to be something better we can do.”
In searching around the internet he came across a Canadian organization called, “Not Just Tourists”, a non-political, non-profit group founded in St. Catharines in southern Ontario.
It began after a St. Catharines doctor, Ken Taylor, started taking medical supplies to remote areas in Cuba in the 1990’s
He and wife Denise had noticed the problem of lack of basic medical supplies there and imagined there could be a cheap and efficient way to deliver some sorely needed medical supplies directly to hospitals and clinics in need in Cuba and other countries in need.
The idea was simple, have tourists who are travelling to those places anyway take an extra suitcase of supplies with them, and then deliver them in person directly to the place in need.
NJT keeps an international list of countries and medical centres that need and appreciate the supplies.
The group accepts donations of medical supplies from hospitals, clinics, and doctors offices, anything except prescription drugs, which would cause problems at borders. Regulations and policies in medical institutions here often require that supplies be thrown out after a certain time period even though they have never been used and are still in their original packages and perfectly serviceable.
NJT packs a variety of supplies into suitcases and tourists travelling to a destination near one of the medical centres in need can then take the suitcases directly to them. Tourist volunteers are given instructions in order to avoid problems at customs and borders.
Blazonovic has since become the Manitoba coordinator for NJT. While a travellers forum says some people have had some inconveniences at borders, he says so far there has never been a problem for those carrying the supplies from his operation.
In all cases, people report the supplies were very warmly received.
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