Evelio Betancourt, the General Coordinator of the Cuban Medical Brigade in Haiti, during a round table on the activities of the 20th anniversary of continuous work in the country, summed up in a few figures the main achievements of the mission in the country.

Nearly 30 million consultations were performed, 577,421 surgeries, 178,104 deliveries and 185,828 rehabilitated patients. Recalling during a round table discussion of the activities of this 20th anniversary, the late Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro "[...] is the main architect of this collaboration, which did not hesitate to send his army of white coats at the request of the Haitian government, a few days after the devastating passage of Hurricane George [in September 1998] [...]"

So far, nearly 8,000 Cuban collaborators (in rotation) have served in Haiti's 10 departments, some in very difficult conditions.

But beyond the Brigade, Evelio Betancourt recalled that about 1,059 Haitians had graduated from Havana (Cuba) in the largest Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), a dream of Fidel to ensure the continuity of health programs in the poorest countries.

Drisma Jean Pierre, first graduate of the ELAM, said, "Medicine in Cuba is learned in a very special way, not only we are here to wait for patients, but we will treat them wherever they are and for me it is is something very special because where there are lives, there must be doctors."

SL/ HaitiLibre