Guatemala City, Nov. 5 - Dr. Juan Pablo Velázquez, a graduate of ELAM, praised the role of Cuba's Medical Brigade, as today marks the 27th anniversary of their presence in Guatemala.
"Being here with you means something special not only for me but for all the colleagues who studied at that blessed school," emphasized the epidemiology specialist during an event held in the capital.
In front of a group of white-coated professionals from the island, Velázquez stated that discussing this period of service by the Caribbean cooperation is to speak of a history rooted in love, solidarity, and gratitude.
He expressed pride in being part of the first graduating class of the Latin American School of Medical Sciences (ELAM) in Havana and having the opportunity for direct contact with the Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.
"He would surprise us with visits at any time, whether it was one in the morning or two, while we were still studying the basic sciences, to see how teaching, food, and other important elements were functioning," he recounted.
"This gratitude we have began after the impact of Hurricane Mitch, with those human and material losses, but from which emerged this chapter that goes beyond the comprehensive health program," he affirmed at the headquarters of the Integrated Health Services Networks Directorate.
It also includes the training of Guatemalan doctors in Cuba, emphasized Velázquez, who served as director of the Health area in the San Marcos department.
He insisted that when the Caribbean doctors arrived in this land, they went to neglected areas where the health system barely managed with basic health personnel: a professional nurse or an aide.
Velázquez expressed his gratitude for the thousands of lives saved by Cuban doctors, who leave their families behind but do so out of a principle of solidarity towards the peoples of the world.
