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| Retired Dr. Bernie Micke moves mattresses that will be sent to Cuba as part of a shipment of medical supplies. |
Madison doctor Bernie Micke has allegedly retired after practicing medicine here for 33 years, but he continues to pursue a passion that's been with him for years — improving the medical services in Madison's sister city, Camaguey, Cuba.
Over the years, he and the Wisconsin Medical Project, a nonprofit organization whose origins began with the Sister Cities program, have made 30 trips to Cuba, bringing with them medical equipment and supplies for doctors and nurses who do everything from basic pediatric care to treating people suffering from cancer and other major illnesses.
Madison established its Cuban sister city connection in 1994. Camaguey is an inland city about the size of Madison. In the early years, Madisonians who made visits to Camaguey were hampered by the long-standing U.S. embargo on Cuba, which was imposed when Fidel Castro staged his revolution in 1960. It has been in effect since, although it has been modified in recent years.
During the early days of the 2000s, however, the George W. Bush administration ordered new limits on humanitarian efforts for Cuba, which resulted in the Madison group reorganizing as the Wisconsin Medical Project after identifying the critical need for medical supplies in Cuba.
Since then, Bernie Micke and friends have made their 30 visits to Camaguey and don't see an end in sight.
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