Guatemala City, Nov 5 - The Director of Integrated Health Services Networks, Bertha Irlandina Sam, expressed gratitude to the Cuban Medical Brigade (BMC) in Guatemala for commemorating 27 years of presence in the country today.
"It is truly a privilege for me to be at this celebration," emphasized the head of this body of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance before Caribbean island doctors coordinating here in various departments.
She recounted that she was 27 years old, freshly graduated, when she worked in Quiché and was impacted by Hurricane Mitch in the region. They consulted her about the support needed and the possibility of the Cuban brigade being in the nation, to which they responded: "We need you."
"Now I have the opportunity to participate from this position and dedicate a few simple words filled with gratitude, because many of you risked and even gave your lives in the context of healthcare," described the doctor.
"This stage sounds easy to say, but being away from one’s homeland is something filled with mixed feelings," she considered, while sending a greeting and fraternal hug to the families of the Caribbean white coat professionals.
She recalled the work carried out by Cuban doctors amid the tragedy in 2018 due to the eruption of the Fuego volcano.
"Other events have struck this Central American territory, but we also rose up and continued as health workers being part of this story, to which the effort of Cuban collaboration is added," expressed Sam.
The devastating passage of Mitch through Central America brought on November 5 the precursors of this altruistic and humanitarian cooperation between two brotherly peoples.
The BMC initially played a crucial role in addressing the consequences of meteorological phenomena, an action that continued over these 27 uninterrupted years.
The precursors were followed by continuous rotations, all with testimonies that endure over time, even linked to confronting the Covid-19 pandemic.
Daily expressions of gratitude abound for the courage of Cuban doctors for the land of the quetzal, especially for the poor and indigenous majorities in Guatemala.
