Bryan Meltz

Pandemic: Sala C: Life on a Cuban AIDS Ward

Sala C: Life on a Cuban AIDS Ward, 2001.

Institute Pedro Kouri, outside Havana.

Personal Work.

July, 2001. Ibrahim llera, Jose Bernal and Manuel Halez live on‘Sala C’, the AIDS ward at the Pedro Kouri Institute near Havana, Cuba. Once used as a sanatorium to house the infected in a quarantine ordered by Fidel Castro, it now provides better conditions than most would get living on the streets, mainly due to the stigma attached to the virus.
   
July, 2001. Manuel Halez can hardly carry burden of his 6 foot plus frame.
   
SALA C: Life on A Cuban AIDS Ward - Ibrahim suffered from constant naseau and diarreah, a common side effect of the medications used to treat AIDS. In his room, there were three permanent fixtures: the bed, the bedside table, and his bucket.
     
  
July, 2001. While serving a prison sentence in the early 1990’s, all five fingers on Jose Bernal’s left hand were cut off. Jose feels this was because he is gay, and says similar stories are shared by other gay men living in Cuba.