Fidel Castro Speaks over the Phone with Cuban Doctors in Haiti

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 27 - Cuban Revolution leader spoke over the phone with members of the Cuban Medical Brigade that is fighting the cholera outbreak in Haiti.

Fidel called Cuban Health deputy Minister Marcia Cobas, who is in L’Estere town in the Artibonite department, the most affected by the pandemic, and spoke with several doctors that graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM)

Cobas is following instructions from the Revolution leader to get in touch directly with all the members of the Henry Reeve medical brigade that are in Haiti, to find out how they are dealing with the tough conditions they are working in.

She asked the cooperants about their health, food, safety and how they are communicating with their families back in Cuba. She also forwarded greetings from Fidel and Cuban President Raul Castro and handed them over a card signed by Fidel.

Among them were Honduran Yorlenis Ramírez, US Gregory J. Wilkinson and Uruguayans Verónica and Brayan who thanked Cuba for having trained them as doctors.

Doctor Elisa Ortiz Vázquez, who heads the 145 health professional brigade in Artibonite, told Fidel they were proud of proving medical services wherever in the world they are needed.

The medical brigade has treated over 46000 Haitinas that had contracted cholera, and have kept mortality at a low 0.59 percent. They also checked over 181000 people and detected 1265 sick among them which they treated.(acn)