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Extraordinary ALBA Summit on Ebola
An alliance for life
Regional leaders meet Cuban health
workers heading to West Africa
Yaima
Puig Meneses & Leticia Martínez Hernández
A
profoundly moving moment came yesterday, after the
conclusion of the ALBA-TCP Ebola Summit, when
regional leaders attending the event met with
members of the Cuban medical brigades departing
today, October 21, to Liberia and Guinea Conakry, to
battle the epidemic impacting these West African
nations.
At
the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK),
Cuban Minister of Public Health Roberto Morales
Ojeda announced that the new brigades are composed
of 91 health professionals, 53 headed to Liberia,
and 38 to Guinea Conakry. As a group, they average
15 years of experience, he reported, adding that 39
are doctors, 48 nurses, and 67 % are under 50 years
of age.
“These are our troops departing tomorrow,” President
Raúl Castro told visiting ALBA leaders, as he asked
individual brigade members about their experiences
on other international missions. Two doctors
preparing to leave reported that they had previously
participated in five other missions.
Jorge Pérez, IPK director, summarized the history of
the renowned institution and its current objectives,
including the role it is playing in confronting
Ebola.
He
explained that the Institute had set up a vigilance
ward for travelers coming from areas impacted by
Ebola, and has provided training on treatment for
brigade members. He presented a series of photos
depicting the strict protection measures brigade
members would be taking, and some of the safety
precautions they would be use while working with
Ebola patients.
Leonardo Fernández, 63 years of age and departing
for West Africa, briefly described his experiences
on missions in Nicaragua, Pakistan, Timor Leste,
Haiti and Mozambique. “We are not mad,” he said, “We
are determined doctors, trained by the Revolution,
and we are sure we will return healthy.”
Following this gathering, ALBA leaders visited the
Medical Cooperation Central Unit (UCCM), located in
the Havana municipality of Boyeros, where all
medical personnel participating in international
missions is trained – a total of more than 50 000
who have served in 66 countries, according to Health
Minister Morales, who said, “The presence of all of
you here encourages us to continue upholding the
legacy of Fidel and Raúl, to reaffirm that what we
are doing is for humanity, for the real possibility
that a better world is possible.”
Concluding the tour, President Raúl Castro bid
farewell to each individual participant in the
extraordinary ALBA Summit on Ebola, who all again
expressed their gratitude to Cuba, the government
and people, for the commitment to making ALBA an
alliance for life.
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